Trainer Wesley Ward indicated Saturday morning that his 1-2 finishers in Friday's listed FanDuel Limestone might be headed in different directions.
Stonestreet Stables' Irish-bred Love Reigns, winner of the 5 1/2-furlong test by a half length, could have a return trip to Royal Ascot in England, where she ran fourth in last year's Queen Mary (G2) after winning her career debut by 9 3/4 lengths in wire-to-wire fashion at Keeneland's spring meet. The target this year for the 3-year-old U S Navy Flag filly would be the King's Stand (G1) against males on June 20.
The Limestone runner-up, AMO Racing's British-bred Lady Hollywood, will target the $225,000 Mamzelle, a listed race to be run May 3 at 5½ furlongs at Churchill Downs.
Ward said both fillies were doing well Saturday morning after making their 2023 debuts in the Limestone. They had not run since finishing off the board against males in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Keeneland in November.
Another runner from that Breeders' Cup race who made her 2023 debut in the Limestone was KatieRich Stables' American Apple, who finished fourth.
“She got caught a little wide yesterday, but I thought it was a good race off the layoff,” trainer Daniel Leitch said. “She will probably go to the Mamzelle; I'm going to nominate her today.”
In what was expected to be a showcase for Godolphin's reigning U.S. champion turf male Modern Games in Friday's Maker's Mark Mile (G1), the scene stealer turned out to be Lael Stables' Chez Pierre.
When Chez Pierre left his seven rivals in his wake in the upper stretch en route to a 3½-length score, the performance was something trainer Arnaud Delacour had seen before.
“He's got a great turn of foot, and he did the same thing last year in the Henry Clark (L) at Laurel,” Delacour said of Chez Pierre's 5½-length victory in that race. “Those were legitimate Grade 2 and Grade 3 horses, and he put them away in the blink of an eye. That was a wow moment.”
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Chez Pierre won the Maker's Mark Mile in a stakes record 1:33.46.
Chez Pierre is ticketed to return to Delacour's base at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. A return to Kentucky in a few weeks for Churchill Downs' $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (G1) to be run at 1 1/8 miles on May 6 is unlikely.
“Probably not. I wouldn't want to stretch him out and come back that quick,” Delacour said.
The victory by Chez Pierre was the sixth stakes win at Keeneland for Delacour and his first Grade 1. On Sunday, he will attempt to double up when he sends out Mark Grier's Opus Forty Two in the 38th running of the $400,000 Beaumont (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select.
“It is an ambitious spot,” Delacour said. “If we get a piece of it, we'd be delighted. She is adding blinkers because she has seemed to be losing focus at the end of her races.”
Regarding the other top finishers in the Maker's Mark Mile:
Modern Games is scheduled to return to England on Tuesday.
“He cooled out well and is a happy horse this morning,” head traveling lad Chris Connett said of the Charlie Appleby trainee. “He didn't disgrace himself. The winner ran a huge race. Modern Games ran hard, and it is a good starting point for the rest of his 4-year-old campaign.”
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's third-place finisher Up to the Mark, who was a neck behind Modern Games in his graded stakes debut, will head to Churchill on Sunday. Trainer Todd Pletcher said the Turf Classic is “under consideration” for Up to the Mark.
Kretz Racing's Cabo Spirit, who finished fourth as the longest price in the field at 52-1, will head back to Santa Anita Saturday and target the $500,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1) on May 29, according to trainer George Papaprodromou.
Last year in the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, Summer Is Tomorrow sped away from the 20-horse starting gate with an opening quarter-mile in :21.78, the fastest in race history, leading to a pace meltdown that benefited closers.
Getting a heads-up ride from Flavien Prat, Lael Stable's French-bred Chez Pierre got the early jump on reigning male turf champion and odds-on favorite Modern Games, then cruised to a 3 1/2-length win in Friday's Grade 1, $518,575 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.
Trained by Arnaud Delacour, the 5-year-old gelding by Mehmas was forwardly placed throughout and was never threatened down the stretch, covering the one-mile distance on firm turf in a stakes record 1:33.46.
Godolphin's Modern Games, an Irish-bred who was unbeaten in three North American starts – all Grade 1 races, including last year's Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland – finished second. Up to the Mark finished a nose back in third, and he was followed by Cabo Spirit, Speaking Scout, Dr Zempf, Emmanuel, and In Love.
Sent off the fourth betting choice in the field of eight older male turf runners, Chez Pierre returned $20.84 on a $2 bet.
Breaking from the three post position, Chez Pierre led through a :23.67 opening quarter mile, but was overtaken down the backstretch by an overeager Dr Zempf, who clicked off fractions of :47.66 for the half and 1:10.80 for six furlongs.
Modern Games, making his first start since the Breeders' Cup for trainer Charles Appleby, was relaxed early while in fourth, but had more than seven lengths to make up when jockey William Buick put him to a drive approaching the far turn.
Chez Pierre easily dispatched a tiring Dr Zempf entering the stretch, opened up two lengths after seven furlongs in 1:21.91 and strode to the wire impressively while record his first graded or group stakes win.
“He broke well,” said Prat. “I talked with Arnaud that we could find ourselves on the lead, which happened. But he wasn't really comfortable. He was looking around, and when that horse (Dr Zempf) down the backside made a move, it actually helped me a lot because then I had a target and he was able to settle down and get in a good rhythm. Turning for home I tipped him out and he really accelerated well.”
Chez Pierre has now won six of seven starts in a career that began with two races at two and one race at three in France, and two starts in 2022 in North America for Delacour, including a victory in the Henry Clark Stakes at Laurel last April. He made his 2023 debut with a sixth-place finish in the G3 Tampa Bay Stakes won by Emmanuel, one of his rivals in the Maker's Mark Mile.
“He was way more relaxed today (than in the Tampa Bay Stakes,” said Delacour. “He was probably a little too fresh coming back. As I said, he needed the race and he was too aggressive, did too much. I think he moved forward after the race just because of his fitness.
“I think now that he's running, the most difficult part has been done,” Delacour added. “So we're just going to do maintenance breezes and map out a summer with him. Obviously it seems he likes the firm turf – today was perfect to his liking – so we will try to spot him in races on firm turf.”
Neither Buick nor Appleby offered any excuses for Modern Games.
“He had a good trip,” said Buick. “The winner went well. I was under pressure a little bit earlier than I thought I would be. The pace was even. I'm sure he will improve from this run. I was closing, but I was under pressure quite soon.”
” think we had a bit of ground to make up there unfortunately,” said Appleby. “He's run well enough, but he just got a bit detached in there.”
Chez Pierre, Flavien Prat aboard
Love Reigns Keys Ward Exacta In FanDuel Limestone
In the $208,188 FanDuel Limestone earlier in the card, Love Reigns overcame a tough trip in the stretch to run down stablemate Lady Hollywood in the final 20 yards to notch her second stakes victory.
Trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by Joel Rosario, Love Reigns covered 5 1/2 furlongs on a firm turf course in 1:02.45. It is the second victory in the race for both with Ward winning last year with Ruthin (GB) and Rosario riding Ginger Nut (IRE) to victory in 2019.
Accomplished Girl led the field through fractions of :21.49 and :44.50 as Love Reigns had a ground-saving trip while racing in midpack.
In the upper stretch, Love Reigns was bottled up behind horses and had to check. By midstretch, Rosario found a seam along the rail and dived to the inside only to swing out again to challenge Accomplished Girl.
Meanwhile, John Velazquez had a clear run on the outside on Lady Hollywood, who surged to the front at the eighth pole. Love Reigns altered course again back to the inside and finished full of run to grab the victory. My Sweet Affair finished third.
Love Reigns is an Irish-bred daughter of U S Navy Flag out of the Pivotal mare Humble and Proud. The victory was worth $114,700 and increased Love Reigns' earnings to $242,065 with a record of 5-3-0-0.
Both Love Reigns and Lady Hollywood were making their 2023 debuts for Ward after closing 2022 by finishing eighth and fifth, respectively, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) here in November.
Love Reigns returned $7.38 as the favorite.
Love Reigns defeat Wesley Ward stablemate Lady Hollywood in the FanDuel Limestone Stakes
