Friday, April 13 2012

Keeneland Barn Notes Thursday, April 12, 2012

SADLER ROLLS THE DICE WITH HOLY CANDY IN TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

The Craig Stables and Donkey Island Racing’s Holy Candy is the only entrant among 13 for Saturday’s 88th running of the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G1) to enter the race off a maiden victory.

It is a move that trainer John Sadler does not often make, especially when the move requires shipping across country from his Southern California base.

Wednesday, April 11 2012

Marketing Mix Wins Wednesday’s Featured Denali Purse at Keeneland

LEXINGTON, KY (April 11, 2012) – Glen Hill Farm’s Marketing Mix made a successful return to the races Wednesday by posting a 1¼-length victory over Canadian champion Inglorious to win the $67,000 Denali Purse for fillies and mares before a crowd of 8,591 at Keeneland.

A $150,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase in 2009, Marketing Mix covered the mile on a firm turf course in 1:35.38. A 4-year-old Canadian-bred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Kris S. mare Instant Thought, Marketing Mix improved her career record to 10-5-2-1 with earnings of $575,186 with Wednesday’s check of $36,360.

Keeneland Barn Notes Wednesday, April 11, 2012

ARUNA, ZAGORA, TAPITSFLY HEAD FIELD OF SIX FOR GRADE 1 JENNY WILEY

Flaxman Holdings Ltd.’s Aruna, Martin Schwartz’s Zagora (FR) and Frank Jones Jr.’s Tapitsfly headline a field six fillies and mares entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 24th running of the Jenny Wiley (G1) at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The Jenny Wiley, won last year by Never Retreat, will go as the eighth race on Saturday’s 12-race program with a 4:42 p.m. (ET) post time. First post time Saturday is 1:05 p.m.

Hansen Headlines Field of 13 For Saturday’s 88th Running of the Toyota Blue Grass (G1)

LEXINGTON, KY (April 11, 2012) – Kendall Hansen and Skychai Racing’s Hansen, winner of the 2011 Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and champion 2-year-old of 2011, heads a field of 13 horses entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 88th running of the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland.

The 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass serves as a major steppingstone for the May 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1). A total of 19 horses that ran in the Toyota Blue Grass went on to win the Kentucky Derby, with Street Sense in 2007 the most recent.

Tuesday, April 10 2012

Horse of the Year Havre de Grace to Parade at Keeneland Sunday

LEXINGTON, KY (April 10, 2012) – Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, will parade in Keeneland’s paddock between races on Sunday, April 15. The actual time of her appearance will be determined on Thursday, following the close of entries for Sunday’s races.

Owned by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm, Havre de Grace arrived at Keeneland on Tuesday under the watchful eye of trainer Larry Jones. Porter and Jones elected to ship the daughter of Saint Liam to Keeneland until her next start in the Grade 2, $300,000 La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 4.

Get Stormy Faces Six Rivals in Bid for Maker’s 46 Repeat

LEXINGTON, KY (April 10, 2012) – Sullimar Stables’ Get Stormy will take on six rivals Friday when he defends his title in the 24th running of the $300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile (G1).

The Maker’s 46 Mile is scheduled as the ninth race on Friday’s 10-race program with a 5:13 p.m. (ET) post time. First post time is 1:05 p.m.

Keeneland Barn Notes Tuesday, April 10, 2012

EVER SO LUCKY WORKS FOR TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

The final work for a probable contender for Saturday’s $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G1) came Tuesday morning at Keeneland when Augustin Stable’s Ever So Lucky breezed five furlongs in :57. Julien Leparoux, who will ride Ever So Lucky in the race, was aboard.

“I told (Leparoux) to set him down a little bit because he’s going to run the longest distance of his life and he needs to get a little bit tired,” trainer Jonathan Sheppard said about Ever So Lucky, a colt by Indian Charlie. “The track’s lightning (fast), and the time doesn’t really mean anything. But I was very pleased with the way he did it. Julien did a good job.”

Monday, April 09 2012

Majestic Warrior Colt Sells for $700,000 to Top Keeneland April Sale

LEXINGTON, KY (April 9, 2012) – Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton paid $700,000 for a colt from the first crop of Majestic Warrior to top Keeneland’s April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, held April 9.

The juvenile colt is out of the Hennessy mare Counter Cat and from the family of multiple graded stakes winner Pine Tree Lane. He breezed an eighth of a mile in 10:0 during last Thursday’s Preview Show.

Eclipse Award Winner Musical Romance Heads Field of 10 for Vinery Madison

LEXINGTON, KY (April 9, 2012) – Pinnacle Racing Stable and Bill Kaplan’s Musical Romance, champion female sprinter of 2011, headlines a field of 10 fillies and mares entered Monday for Thursday’s 11th running of the $300,000 Vinery Madison (G1) at seven furlongs on the main track.

The Vinery Madison will go as the eighth race on Thursday’s nine-race program with a 4:42 p.m. (ET) post time. First post time Thursday is 1:05 p.m.

Sunday, April 08 2012

Karlovy Vary Goes Wire to Wire to Win 75th Central Bank Ashland

LEXINGTON, KY (April 7, 2012) – Alex G. Campbell Jr.’s Karlovy Vary took the lead out of the gate and repulsed a late challenge from Hard Not to Like by three-quarters of a length to win the 75th running of the $500,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) for 3-year-old fillies before a sun-splashed crowd of 24,898 on Saturday afternoon at Keeneland.

The victory was the first in the race for trainer Rusty Arnold and jockey James Graham.

Saturday, April 07 2012

Silver Max Goes Wire-to-Wire in Opening-Day Transylvania

LEXINGTON, KY (April 6, 2012) – Mark Bacon and Dana Wells’ Silver Max took the lead out of the gate and cruised to a 5 1/2-length victory over Travel Advisory to win the 24th running of the $100,000 Transylvania (G3) for 3-year-olds on opening day of the 15-day Spring Meet at Keeneland.

Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Robby Albarado, Silver Max covered the 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course in 1:41.81 and posted the largest margin of victory in the history of the race. The victory in the Transylvania was the second for Albarado, who won the race in 2008 with Boss Lafitte.

Thursday, April 05 2012

Keeneland Barn Notes Thursday, April 5, 2012

RUSSIAN GREEK COMES TO KEENELAND FOR TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

Last Sunday, Russian-born trainer Gennadi Dorochenko contributed to one of the biggest upsets in some time in Thoroughbred racing when he sent out Hero of Order to win the Louisiana Derby (G2) at odds of 109-1. Now Dorochenko is taking aim at the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G1) on April 14 with Russian Greek.

Russian Greek, by Giant’s Causeway, races for Olympia Star Inc. of another Russian, Mikhail “Michael” Yanakov, who is from the same town as Dorochenko. Yanakov has raced horses in Russia and has competed in the United States for about three years. He has some 25 horses in training, the majority of which he said is at Hollywood Park.