Keepmeinmind | Horse Racing Free Tips

Essential Quality Draws Post Four Of Nine For Blue Grass Stakes

Post positions for Saturday's 97th running of the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and 84th running of the Central Bank Ashland (G1) were drawn today at Keeneland. They will be run Saturday, the second day of Keeneland's 15-day Spring Meet. The season runs April 2-23.

$800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2), 3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles
Weight: 123 lbs. * Race 11 * Post time: 6:35 p.m. ET

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Morning-Line Odds
1	Hidden Stash	Vicki Oliver	Rafael Bejarano	20-1
2	Untreated	Joel Rosario	Todd Pletcher	8-1
3	Highly Motivated	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	7-2
4	Essential Quality	Luis Saez	Brad Cox	3-5
5	Rombauer	Florent Geroux	Michael McCarthy	15-1
6	Leblon	Albin Jiminez	Paulo Lobo	30-1
7	Hush of a Storm	Santiago Gonzalez	William Morey	15-1
8	Sittin On Go	Corey Lanerie	Dale Romans	30-1
9	Keepmeinmind	David Cohen	Robertino Diodoro	8-1

The Toyota Blue Grass will be the final race of Keeneland's April 3 card with a 6:35 p.m. ET post. NBC Sports Network will televise the race along with the Wood Memorial (G2) Presented by Resorts World Casino from Aqueduct and Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

$400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles
Weight: 121 lbs. * Race 9 * Post time: 5:30 p.m.

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Morning-Line Odds
1	Curlin's Catch	Mark Casse	Chris Landeros	8-1
2	Pass the Champagne	George Weaver	Javier Castellano	4-1
3	Simply Ravishing	Kenny McPeek	Luis Saez	5-2
4	Moon Swag	Brendan Walsh	Adam Beschizza	10-1
5	Malathaat	Todd Pletcher	Joel Rosario	9-5
6	Will's Secret	Dallas Stewart	Jon Court	7-2

Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland are classic preps: For 3-year-olds, the Toyota Blue Grass and the Central Bank Ashland are respective major preps for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on May 1 and Kentucky Oaks (G1) on April 30. The Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland both carry 170 qualifying points for the Derby and Oaks on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the first four finishers.

Saturday's card: Eleven races begin at 1:05 p.m.

Saturday graded stakes lineup: Six graded stakes are worth a total of $2.1 million.

Race 6 (3:51 p.m.) $200,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association

Race 7 (4:24 p.m.) $200,000 Commonwealth (G3)

Race 8 (4:57 p.m.) $200,000 Shakertown (G2)

Race 9 (5:30 p.m.) $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1)

Race 10 (6:02 p.m.) $300,000 Madison (G1)

Race 11 (6:35 p.m.) $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2)

Wagering: $500,000 Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Five and $500,000 Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Four.

How to watch the Spring Meet: TVG's live, on-site coverage begins at 1 p.m. Thanks to the Keeneland Livestream Powered by Kentucky Utilities, fans can watch all races at no charge on Keeneland.com, Keeneland Race Day App, Keeneland Select, Keeneland's Facebook page and Keeneland's YouTube page.

The post Essential Quality Draws Post Four Of Nine For Blue Grass Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Concert Tour, Caddo River Head 3yo Worktab Saturday

Heading the likely cast of contenders in the Apr. 10 GI Arkansas Derby, undefeated Concert Tour (Street Sense) worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 under Juan Ochoa at Santa Anita Saturday morning.

“He went great; he looked fantastic,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “He couldn't have looked any better. He just cruised around there in a minute and change.”

Taking over as top dog in the Baffert barn following the injury of Life Is Good (Into Mischief), Concert Tour a perfect three-for-three this season, including wins in the GII San Vicente S. and GII Rebel S.

Also working ahead of the Arkansas Derby, Caddo River (Hard Spun) breezed a half-mile in :48 after Oaklawn's first surface renovation break under Fernando De La Cruz. Caddo River, working with stablemate Joe Frazier, who credited with the same time. Clockers had the Brad Cox-trained duo galloping out five panels in 1:00, six furlongs in 1:13 and 7/8ths in 1:27.60.

A homebred for John Ed Anthony, Caddo River was a record-setting 10 1/4-length winner of the Smarty Jones S. Jan. 22 before finishing fifth in the Rebel.

Also at Oaklawn, Rebel sixth Keepmeinmind (Laoban) breezed after the second renovation break under regular rider David Cohen. Keepmeinmind went five furlongs in 1:00 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.60, according to clockers. The colt is expected to make his next start in either the Arkansas Derby and GII Blue Grass Stakes Apr. 3 at Keeneland and a decision on the colt's next start is expected by Monday.

“If it's the Blue Grass, he's going to miss a little bit of serious training, shipping over there and stuff,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said. “I gave him a stiff work today. If we run him next weekend, he's not going to be doing a whole bunch from now until then. We'll jog him, little easy gallop. If he stays here for the Arkansas Derby, then we'll probably come back next weekend with a real easy half.”

Prepping for this season's Classics on the West Coast, a host of sophomore's posted their final major works ahead of next weekend's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Saturday's worktab included GII San Felipe S. third Dream Shake (Twirling Candy), who went five furlongs in :59.80 and Roman Centurian (Empire Maker), second in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. and fourth in the San Felipe, who negotiated the same distance in 1:00.40 for Simon Callaghan. San Felipe fifth-place finisher The Great One (Nyquist) worked six furlongs in 1:14.20 for Doug O'Neill. The Louisiana bred finished runner up in last season's GII Los Alamitos Futurity.

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Keepmeinmind Will Try To Rebound In Arkansas Derby

Trainer Robertino Diodoro said Thursday morning that he's leaning toward starting Keepmeinmind in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10 at Oaklawn.

Diodoro said Keepmeinmind is also under consideration for the $800,000 Blue Grass Stakes (G2) April 3 at Keeneland, but it appears his final Kentucky Derby push will be made at Oaklawn, where the late-running son of Laoban has been based since late December.

“It could change, but right now I'm pointing towards the Arkansas Derby,” Diodoro said. “Just being here, not having to ship.”

Keepmeinmind made his delayed 3-year-old debut in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) last Saturday at Oaklawn and finished sixth, beaten eight lengths, by Concert Tour. Diodoro said Keepmeinmind returned to the track Thursday morning for the first time since the Rebel, which was Oaklawn's third of four Kentucky Derby points races and its final major prep for the Arkansas Derby.

“The Blue Grass is an option, but right now I'm pointing him to that,” Diodoro said.

The Rebel marked the first start for Keepmeinmind since his last-to-first maiden victory in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. Prior to the Kentucky Jockey Club, Keepmeinmind finished second in the $400,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland and third in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

Keepmeinmind was to have made his 3-year-old debut in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 15 at Oaklawn before the race was postponed 12 days because of severe winter weather. Diodoro then opted to launch Keepmeinmind 2021 campaign in the Rebel.

Unbeaten Essential Quality, who won the Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile en route to an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 2-year-old male, captured the Southwest in his 3-year-old debut. Essential Quality is pointing to the Blue Grass, trainer Brad Cox said.

Keepmeinmind has 18 points to rank No. 14 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, according to Churchill Downs.

Diodoro-trained Dreamer's Disease, who ran sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, moved closer to his 3-year-old debut by working a half-mile in :51 over a fast track Thursday morning at Oaklawn. Diodoro, Oaklawn's leading trainer last year, said he would like to start Dreamer's Disease before the meeting ends May 1.

The post Keepmeinmind Will Try To Rebound In Arkansas Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Keepmeinmind Likely for Arkansas Derby

Though he has an option for the $800,000 GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Apr. 3, Keepmeinmind (Laoban) is more likely to remain at trainer Robertino Didoro's Oaklawn base and await the $1-million GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 10, the conditioner told the Oaklawn notes team Thursday.

“It could change, but right now I'm pointing towards the Arkansas Derby,” Diodoro said. “Just being here, not having to ship.”

Second in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity last October and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile as a maiden, Keepmeinmind rallied from last to graduate in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill in late November. Stabled in Hot Springs since December, the colt was to have made his sophomore debut in the GIII Southwest S., but when that race was pushed back by nearly two weeks due to extreme winter weather, Diodoro elected to wait for the GII Rebel S. Mar. 13. Keepmeinmind finished sixth, beaten eight lengths, behind undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Concert Tour (Street Sense).

The post Keepmeinmind Likely for Arkansas Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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