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Gulfstream’s Royal Palm Meet Kicks Off

Live Thoroughbred racing at Gulfstream Park will resume Thursday, Apr. 6 on the first day of the Royal Palm Meet.

The Royal Palm Meet will get underway with live racing conducted Thursday through Sunday with a first-race post time set for 12:40 p.m. The Royal Palm Meet's stakes schedule includes 42 stakes worth $3.945 million through Dec. 2.

The $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, contested May 13, will provide the winner of each of the five-furlong turf stakes an automatic berth into one of six stakes for 2-year-olds at Royal Ascot in June, as well as a $25,000 equine travel stipend, in addition to the winner's share of the purse.

The $200,000 GII Princess Rooney, which has been customarily featured on the Summit of Speed program in early July, has been repositioned on the schedule for the upcoming meet. The seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, a traditional 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, will be renewed on Sept. 30.

The schedule for the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds sired by nominated stallions standing in Florida has also been adjusted to allow more spacing between races. The FSS series will kick off Sept. 9 with the $100,000 Desert Vixen for fillies and $100,000 Dr. Fager at six furlongs. The $200,000 Susan's Girl for fillies and the $200,000 Affirmed at seven furlongs will be contested Oct. 21, while the $300,000 My Dear Girl for fillies and $300,000 In Reality at 1 1/16 miles will be run Dec. 2. The $100,000 GIII Smile Sprint will be run July 1, supported by the $75,000 Bob Umphrey Sprint, a five-furlong turf sprint.

Gulfstream patrons will be able to watch and wager on the full cards of the upcoming Triple Crown events. Daily simulcasting of the Saratoga season will also be offered, in addition to racing signals throughout the country.

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Bruno Mars to Headline Preakness Live

Grammy Award winner Bruno Mars will be among the events highlighting this year's Preakness LIVE, which will follow the 148^th edition of the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 20. Mars previously performed at the Preakness 11 years ago. Preakness LIVE will feature a full day of live music and entertainment beginning at 10:30 a.m., including performances by Grammy nominated musical duo Sofi Tukker, DJ Chantel Jeffries and Martin 2 Smoove.

Preakness LIVE will also feature Baltimore's art scene with the return of the infield art garden featuring unique works by local artists using shipping containers as a canvas, provided by Ports America Chesapeake and in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Art & Culture. An installation of selected works of art from the Preakness Art of Racing in collaboration with Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) will also be on display.

The winning artwork of The Art of Racing will be reproduced on a curated collection of Preakness merchandise available for sale during Preakness 148, the proceeds of which will be used to support the activities of Park Heights Renaissance, a non-profit organization that provides employment opportunities and pursues affordable housing for members of the Park Heights community.

This year the inclusion of local culinary offerings will extend beyond Preakness LIVE with catering partners Baltimore's Atlas Restaurant Group and the woman-owned Maryland based brand, Ridgewells. Hiatus Cheesecake founded by Baltimore's Matthew Featherstone will provide desserts for Preakness 148 guests.

Tickets for Preakness LIVE, including for the fan favorite Mug Club and limited availability VIP experiences are on sale now and can be purchased at www.preakness.com/preakness-live with General Admission starting at $59.

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Derby Winner Rick Strike Works, Possible for Ben Ali

RED TR-Racing's 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) worked five furlongs at Keeneland Wednesday morning in preparation for a possible start in the Lexington oval's GIII Ben Ali S. Apr. 22. With Carlos Enriquez aboard, the chestnut covered the distance over a fast track in 1:01.20.

“I thought he worked good and finished strong,” trainer Eric Reed said. “We are looking here [1 3/16 Ben Ali] or Oaklawn [$1-million GII Oaklawn H. going 1 1/8 miles the same day]. We want to get the first one out of the way and then the [$1-million GI) Stephen Foster [S. on July 1]. We'll see how they come up.”

Runner-up in the GII Lukas Classic last October, Rich Strike was fourth behind Flightline in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic before coming home sixth in the GI Clark S. Nov. 25. Following a two-month break, he returned to the work tab at Reed's Mercury Equine Center in Lexington Jan. 21. Rich Strike has been working predominantly at Turfway earlier this winter.

Reed explained that he had initially looked at the Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Mar. 25 for Rich Strike's seasonal return, however, “he nicked a quarter [hoof area], and we didn't want to take chance that he might hit himself coming out of the gate.”

According to Reed, the ultimate goal for Rich Strike this season is the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Nov. 4.

“After the Foster, we are looking at either the Whitney or the Pacific Classic then back to Churchill for the Lukas Classic then the Breeders' Cup,” said Reed.

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Maker’s Mark Bourbon Keeneland Bottle to Benefit LexArts Public Art Project

Maker's Mark Bourbon Keeneland commemorative bottles will be available at stores throughout Kentucky Friday, celebrating opening day of the Keeneland Spring Meet. Fewer than 10,000 of the limited-edition bottles of bourbon will be available and are expected to sell out in one day.

Through a strategic partnership with LexArts, greater Lexington's premier cultural development, advocacy and fundraising organization, the proceeds from this year's commemorative bottle release will benefit the creation of a permanent public art legacy project. Miniature bronze horses will be creatively placed through downtown Lexington to create an interactive tour that heralds past and present stories of Kentucky culture.

For the third year, the commemorative bottles will showcase three distinct label designs featuring the work of artists Sandra Oppegard, Andre Pater and Tyler Robertson. The label art depicts winning jockeys from the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships held at Keeneland. Each label is signed by the artist who created the design, plus Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin and Eighth Generation Whisky Maker & Maker's Mark® Managing Director Rob Samuels. The labels will also be signed by one of three winning jockeys from the Breeders' Cup World Championships: Flavien Prat (Classic), Tyler Gaffalione (Juvenile Fillies and Turf Sprint) and Hall of Famer John Velazquez (Distaff).

“Keeneland is proud to team up with Maker's Mark and LexArts on this unique initiative to celebrate public art and Central Kentucky's signature horse industry,” said Arvin. “We all share a mission to enhance life in the local community, and supporting the arts is fundamental toward that goal.”

Maker's Mark and Keeneland have collaborated on a commemorative bottle release for 26 years, raising millions of dollars for a variety of worthy causes throughout Central Kentucky.

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