Tag: Keeneland

Justify’s Buchu Stays Unbeaten at Keeneland with Appalachian Win

Rigney Racing homebred Buchu (f, 3, Justify–Flowering Peach {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), winner of the GII Jessamine S. over this course last year at two, made her 3-year-old debut a winning one and kept her Keeneland record perfect with a late-closing score in the $400,000 GII Appalachian S. Saturday. California shipper Mo Fox Givin (Mo Town) and last-out GIII Florida Oaks third Dancing N Dixie (Neolithic) chased her home in second and third, respectively.

Buchu broke smoothly from the nine hole and quickly settled into a midpack spot on the outside, rating throughout while in the clear as Poolside With Slim (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) set fractions of :22.88 and :47.25 and favorite Pounce (Lookin At Lucky) tracked from third. Midway on the turn, Buchu unfurled a sharp turn of foot as she circled the field while five wide and hit the front in a no-nonsense effort despite bobbling in the last sixteenth. Mo Fox Givin and Dancing N Dixie, both longshots who were 11th and 12th at the first call, got within a half-length and a neck, respectively, but couldn't catch the winner. The final time for the one mile was 1:36.36.

“We came over here knowing she had run well,” said winning trainer Phil Bauer. “But this was a pretty good test and you don't expect those efforts. I was a little worried maybe she hit the front too early, but she's game and hung on. So it's a pretty special feeling to be out here for the second time [after winning the Jessamine last year]. You come here as a kid and dream about it, and it's pretty surreal.”

Buchu had an exceptional fall last year as a juvenile. After initial tries at Ellis Park and Saratoga, she broke her maiden by daylight in her second try on the lawn and first time at Churchill. A powerful performance in the Jessamine followed before an off-the-board finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Freshened since that effort, she has worked consistently during the last month at Churchill, including a bullet four furlongs in :48 1/5 (1/20) over the training track Mar. 22 and a :47 1/5 half (4/30) Mar. 29 on the main track.

Pedigree Notes:

Hailing from the same family as MGISW Medaglia d'Oro, dam Flowering Peach (Ire) is out of MGSW Naples Bay (Giant's Causeway), a half-sister to that stellar Darley sire and who herself brought $3.6 million to the bid of M. V. Magnier at the 2014 Keeneland November sale. Flowering Peach is a full-sister to French GSW First Minister (Ire) and has producded two foals following Buchu: a now-yearling colt by Uncle Mo and a Golden Pal filly born Feb. 10. Buchu is one of 323 stakes winners out of a daughter of Galileo (Ire).

The Appalachian winner is also one of 18 graded winners and 26 black-type winners worldwide for 2018 Horse of the Year Justify, who stands at Coolmore America and was the leading second-crop sire of 2023.

 

Saturday, Keeneland
APPALACHIAN S. PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION-GII, $386,888, Keeneland, 4-6, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.36, gd.
1–BUCHU, 120, f, 3, by Justify
           1st Dam: Flowering Peach (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
           2nd Dam: Naples Bay, by Giant's Causeway
           3rd Dam: Cappucino Bay, by Bailjumper
($275,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP). O/B-Rigney Racing, LLC (KY); T-Philip A. Bauer; J-Martin Garcia. $226,300. Lifetime Record: 7-3-0-2, $541,255. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Mo Fox Givin, 118, f, 3, Mo Town–Givine (Fr), by Blackdoun (Fr). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($2,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT). O-Woo Pig Stables; B-Liberty Road Stables (KY); T-Leonard Powell. $73,000.
3–Dancing N Dixie, 118, f, 3, Neolithic–Foolhearted Woman, by Uncaptured. ($35,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN). O-Quintessential Racing Florida LLC, Rocky Top Stable (Ventura) and LEMB Stables; B-Freddie Hyatt (FL); T-Mark E. Casse. $27,375.
Margins: HF, NK, 3. Odds: 6.52, 58.91, 10.77.
Also Ran: Simply in Front, Poolside With Slim (Ire), Austere, Living Magic, Grecian Goddess, Kairyu (Ire), Crown Imperial, Pounce, Dozen Diamonds.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Into Mischief’s Discreet Mischief Posts ‘TDN Rising Star’ Performance at Second Asking

Discreet Mischief (c, 3, Into Mischief–Brushwork, by Discreet Cat), a very solid second sprinting on debut with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure behind the highly regarded Drip (Good Magic) over a sloppy track at Fair Grounds Feb. 17, delivered a 'TDN Rising Star' performance for trainer Brad Cox to graduate impressively at second asking at Keeneland Saturday.

The 4-5 favorite jumped well and secured a perfect spot pressing in an outside second through fractions of :22.47 and :45.54. He took over on the turn for home, was in complete control as they straightened and ran up the score in the stretch to win for fun by 8 1/4 lengths. Timeout (Curlin) was second.

Discreet Mischief, a homebred for Oussama Aboughazale's Sumaya U.S. Stable, becomes the 44th 'TDN Rising Star' for the mighty Into Mischief. The unraced Darley-bred Brushwork, a daughter of MGISW Manistique (Unbridled), is also responsible for Kitten's Cat (Kitten's Joy), MSW & MGSP, $573,545; an Authentic colt of 2022 ($475,000 RNA KEESEP); and a Gun Runner colt of 2023. Brushwork brought $150,000 from International Equities Holding in foal to Kitten's Joy at the 2017 Keeneland January sale.

3rd-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 4-6, 3yo, 7f, 1:23.27, ft, 8 1/4 lengths.
DISCREET MISCHIEF, c, 3, Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Brushwork, by Discreet Cat
                2nd Dam: Manistique, by Unbridled
                3rd Dam: Astaire Step, by Nureyev
Sales history: $375,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $69,575. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Sumaya U.S. Stable; B-International Equities Holding, Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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Sunday Insights: ‘TDN Rising Star’ Returns On Keeneland Sunday Card

4th-KEE, $110K, OC, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 2:36 p.m.

Unraced since her 'TDN Rising Star' debut at Churchill Downs last September, TWIRLING GOOD TIME (Twirling Candy) returns to the races Sunday for Rigney Racing and trainer Phillip Bauer. Stretching out from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, the $250,000 KEESEP grad will look to carry the speed that saw her go nearly gate-to-wire in her four-length win while posting an 86 Beyer Speed Figure. Out of Celebrategoodtimes, a Harlan's Holiday mare who has produced five foals and as many winners, Twirling Good Time counts both GISW and sire Street Boss (Street Cry {Ire}) and MGISW and sire Jack Christopher (Munnings) as extended family members. TJCIS PPS

 

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$1.15-Million Into Mischief Filly Leslie’s Rose Blooms in Ashland for Whisper Hill

Billed as a showdown between the top three finishers of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Keeneland's opening day GI Central Bank Ashland S.–worth not just $600,000 in purse money but also GI Kentucky Oaks points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale–instead featured the blossoming of Whisper Hill Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Leslie's Rose (f, 3, Into Mischief–Wildwood Rose {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), who left no doubt about the top filly on the day with a three-length tour de force. George Krikorian's Breeders' Cup winner and Eclipse champion Just F Y I (Justify) was second, while Juddmonte homebred Impel (Quality Road), a 'TDN Rising Star' trying stakes company for the first time, finished third. The Breeders' Cup's second- and third-place finishers, Jody's Pride (American Pharoah) and Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}), were seventh and fourth, respectively.

The first Grade I race of the year for 3-year-old fillies, the Ashland is contested at 1 1/16 miles, the same distance as the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, but it marked the first time Leslie's Rose has been asked to go that distance. She will aim to join Monomoy Girl (Tapizar, 2018) and Malathaat (Curlin, 2021) as the third Ashland winner in seven years to also take the Kentucky Oaks. Like Malathaat, Leslie's Rose is trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

When the gates flew in the Ashland, last-out Ruthless S. winner Halina's Forte (Mitole) emerged from the early fray with the first calls, stopping the clock in :24.35 for the first quarter and :48.27 for the first half. Impel kept her company while parked just off her flank as Leslie's Rose tracked from a joint third. As the tempo quickened on the final turn, Impel dispensed with Halina's Forte to take command as five of the eight fanned out entering the lane. It briefly appeared to be anyone's race until Leslie's Rose tipped out to go around Impel and, despite drifting slightly, powered down the stretch a much-the-best, three-length winner. Just F Y I overhauled Impel late in her first start since the Breeders' Cup after scratching with a fever from the Mar. 2 GII Davona Dale S., the same race where Leslie's Rose suffered her first career loss with a third-place finish as the favorite in her first stakes try.

“We didn't lose any confidence in her. She didn't have a great trip that day,” said Pletcher about the lead up to the Ashland in the Davona Dale for Leslie's Rose. “I think she got a good education. It was the first time she'd been in that scenario. You could see turning for home [jockey] Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] had an opportunity to go into a tight spot, and she just wasn't experienced enough to do that at that time. But we weren't down on her, she came back, she breezed beautifully, so we said, 'Let's just stick to the game plan' and I'm glad we did.”

Pletcher had given Leslie's Rose, a $1.15-million Keeneland September purchase by Mandy Pope, her early education in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct last November, a good two weeks after Just F Y I had already sewn up the divisional championship. The bay led every step of the way for a 9 1/4-length victory that netted the 'Rising Star' tag and an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. She reappeared at Gulfstream in January with another easy win and an 88 Beyer before evening out in the Davona Dale.

After the Ashland, Pletcher added: “She's always been a high-quality filly. She's always trained like she wants to run longer and I think she proved that today, getting the opportunity to go two turns and finishing with good energy. So, fingers crossed [heading into the Kentucky Oaks].”

Meanwhile, trainer Bill Mott was not discouraged by Just F Y I's first career defeat. “We didn't win but our second main objective was to get a race in her and have her ready for the next one,” he said. “So I am not totally disappointed. She got beat, but I can give some reasons for that. The Kentucky Oaks has been the plan all along, so I see no reason not to do that.”

The Oaks will be run Friday, May 3, exactly four weeks after the Ashland.

Pedigree Notes:

Not too many major races go by without some sort of impact made by Into Mischief, who is on a five-year reign as the leading sire in North America. Leslie's Rose is the newest Grade I winner for the Spendthrift kingpin, who has 21 of his 70 graded winners at the highest level, as well as 147 black-type winners worldwide. The Ashland winner does mark Into Mischief's first stakes winner out of a Galileo (Ire) mare, somewhat remarkable as that exceptional late sire has 323 stakes winners out of his daughters and the mating on paper alone represents the old adage of breeding the best to the best. More unusually, Leslie's Rose is inbred 4×5, on top and bottom, to Clever Trick. That one's son Tricky Creek is damsire of Into Mischief, while his son Phone Trick is damsire of Leslie's Rose's granddam Wildwood Flower.

Leslie's Rose is a third generation John D. Gunther-bred, who partnered with Eurowest Bloodstock Services for her mating. Her dam, Gunther's unraced Wildwood Rose (Ire), came to American shores as a 2-year-old in 2018. Gunther may have sold Leslie's Rose, but he has retained the mare's juvenile filly, named Divine Rose (Good Magic), and he also has a two-week-old filly out of the mare by Not This Time. Wildwood Rose's dam, SW & MGSP Wildwood Flower, produced 2015 GI Florida Derby winner Materiality (Afleet Alex) and 2014 GII Gazelle S. winner and GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song). The latter produced 2022 GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. winner Annapolis (War Front), while the extended family includes 2010 GI Travers S. winner Afleet Express (Afleet Alex) and 2015 GI Alabama S. winner Embellish the Lace (Super Saver).

 

Friday, Keeneland
CENTRAL BANK ASHLAND S.-GI, $598,750, Keeneland, 4-5, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:43.85, ft.
1–LESLIE'S ROSE, 121, f, 3, by Into Mischief
           1st Dam: Wildwood Rose (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
           2nd Dam: Wildwood Flower, by Langfuhr
           3rd Dam: Dial a Trick, by Phone Trick
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($1,150,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP).O-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC; B-John D. Gunther & Eurowest Bloodstock Services (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $358,050. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $467,800. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Just F Y I, 121, f, 3, by Justify
           1st Dam: Star Act (SP, $147,605), by Street Cry (Ire)
           2nd Dam: Starrer, by Dynaformer
           3rd Dam: To the Hunt, by Relaunch
O/B-George Krikorian (KY); T-William I. Mott. $115,500.
3–Impel, 121, f, 3, by Quality Road
           1st Dam: Your Love (SW & GSP, $335,000), by Flatter
           2nd Dam: Queen of America, by Quiet American
           3rd Dam: Our Dear Ruth, by Baldski
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $57,750.
Margins: 3, 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 9.45, 4.63, 2.02.
Also Ran: Candied, Standoutsensation, Shimmering Allure, Jody's Pride, Halina's Forte.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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