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.

BUCHU ($15.04) showed her love for @KeenelandRacing winning the $400,000 Appalachian Stakes (G2) under jockey Martin Garcia. The 3-year-old Justify (@coolmoreamerica) filly was trained by Philip Bauer!

Bet the late Pick 4: https://t.co/ybo2UACnE6 pic.twitter.com/LiIVrGUXwa

— TVG (@TVG) April 6, 2024

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.

The post Justify’s Buchu Stays Unbeaten at Keeneland with Appalachian Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“I would have liked to stay third or fourth and not wide,” said Fresu. “Unfortunately I was caught wide around the first turn and I didn't have any place to go, so I just tried to reduce pace, just to hold her there to save some energy and just give her a breather. At the quarter pole, I asked her because at Del Mar she had an exceptional turn of foot, so I just wanted to see if today at a mile she would have the same. When she switched leads, she just flew home.”

One of 18 stakes winners for sire Honor Code, Medoro is the first foal out of a half-sister to the dam of Perryville S. record-setter and new sire Nashville (Speightstown). Further back in the family is GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Giacomo (Holy Bull) along with MGISW Tiago (Pleasant Tap) and GSW/MGISP Stanwyck (Empire Maker). The winner has a Speightstown yearling half-brother and a weanling half-brother by Honor A.P. while her dam is pregnant to Not This Time. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

#7 MEDORO ($6.80) by Honor Code kicks it into high gear coming to the stretch to get up and win the $100,000 Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita. @Antonio1Fresu was in the irons for @EurtonRacing. Congrats to all the connections! pic.twitter.com/SmpZO5F7Cf

— TVG (@TVG) December 29, 2023

BLUE NORTHER S., $102,000, Santa Anita, 12-29, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.80, fm.
1–MEDORO, 118, f, 2, by Honor Code
                1st Dam: Achira (MSP, $151,852), by English Channel
                2nd Dam: Styler, by Holy Bull
                3rd Dam: Set Them Free, by Stop the Music
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-C R K Stable LLC; B-Parks Investment
Group, LLC (KY); T-Peter Eurton; J-Antonio Fresu. $60,000.
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $96,600
2–Chatalas, 122, f, 2, Gun Runner–Indian Safari, by Indian
Charlie. O-Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners, Dan J.
Agnew and William Chatalas; B-Dan Agnew (KY); T-Mark Glatt.
$20,000.
3–Mo Fox Givin, 120, f, 2, Mo Town–Givine (Fr), by Blackdoun
(Fr). ($2,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT). O-Woo Pig Stables; B-Liberty
Road Stables (KY); T-Leonard Powell. $12,000.
Margins: NK, 2, HF. Odds: 2.40, 8.40, 3.70.
Also Ran: Zona Verde (Ire), Antifona (Fr), April Vintage, Highlands, Hattie T, Blue Oasis.

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