A. P. Indian set to make 2017 debut in Commonwealth

Green Lantern Stables’ A. P. Indian, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2016, returned to Keeneland Tuesday morning with an eye on a Saturday start in the $250,000 Commonwealth (G3).

“He was on the track this morning and it’s all good,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said.

Winner of the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2) here last fall, A. P. Indian closed 2016 with a run in the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) in which he was placed third.

“He was turned out for 45 days after the Breeders’ Cup and then he was at Classic Mile in Ocala (Florida) where I have a barn,” Delacour said. “When his training picked up, he moved on to Tampa and this is the race we pointed to (to start the year).”

In the Breeders’ Cup, A. P. Indian had a six-race win streak ended when he finished 4½ lengths behind Drefong.

“It was a strong pace and he was chasing those horses and I don’t think he likes to run that way,” Delacour said. “They were going (the first quarter-mile) in :21 and he is not used to that. He can do :22s comfortably, but chasing those horses took away from his closing kick.”

TVG EXPANDS KEENELAND COVERAGE, ADDS WEEKLY FEATURES

TVG will launch complete live, on-track coverage of the Keeneland’s 2017 Spring Meet and start two new weekly features as part of a new partnership with Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai, one of the world’s leading equine feed and supplement suppliers.  

TVG’s Todd Schrupp, Paul Lo Duca, Caleb Keller and Caton Bredar will at Keeneland every day. TVG and TVG2 will air Saturday’s and Sunday’s

“The Starting Gate” program live from Keeneland, as well. On days Keeneland is not racing, the TVG crew will visit Lexington-area farms to create features and segments to help promote the Thoroughbred breeding and sales industry.

Racing fans can watch TVG’s coverage of the Spring Meet and build-up toward the Triple Crown in high definition on DIRECTV’s new OTT (over-the-top) service, DIRECTV NOW. TVG is part of DIRECTV NOW’s “Go Big” and “Gotta Have It” packages, one of only 120 channels offered through the new service, which is available to users independent of their satellite or cable service at DIRECTVNOW.com. In addition, TVG is available on AT&T’s U-Verse in HD at www.tvg.com/live.

In an effort to recognize some of Thoroughbred racing’s pivotal behind-the-scenes players, TVG, in partnership with Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai, will launch two new weekly features on TVG and TVG2: “Performance of the Week” and “Best Turned Out.”

Each week, TVG racing analysts and producers will choose the “Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Performance of the Week” from the races aired by the network and award the winning horse’s trainer a $100 cash prize to be donated to the equine charity of his or her choice. The trainer who earns the most Performances of the Week will receive a $1,000 cash prize for the equine charity of his or her choice.

Additionally, to help celebrate some of racing’s unsung heroes, each week TVG talent will choose the Best Turned Out Horse from a weekly roster of races aired on TVG and reward a $100 cash prize to the winner’s groom.

Earlier this year, TVG launched “The Starting Gate,” an in-depth hour-long show that airs each Saturday and Sunday mornings, going behind the scenes with racing newsmakers and personalities.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR APRIL 23 BENEFIT FOR PERMANENTLY DISABLED JOCKEYS FUND AND SOUTH AFRICAN SIMUNYE PROJECT

A Cajun-themed benefit for two seemingly disparate charities will be held at Castle Post – the famous castle – on Versailles Road near Keeneland on Sunday, April 23. Proceeds from “Ragin’ Cajun At The Castle” will raise funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) and The Simunye Project in South Africa.

Longtime Saddlebred breeder Bridget Parker of Parker View Farm in Versailles established The Simunye Project in 1986 after several visits to the region indicated critical need for humanitarian aid. Simunye (“we are one” in Zulu) is an impoverished town in the KwaZulu-Natal province in west South Africa. To learn more, visit www.thesimunyeproject.org.

Former jockey Shane Sellers, jockey Gary Stevens and Keeneland Clerk of Scales Javier Torres are  Simunye Project board members.

Founded in 2006, the PDJF provides financial assistance to 61 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries such as paralysis or traumatic brain injuries. For more information, visit www.pdjf.org.

Tickets are $75 per person and include dinner, entertainment, two drink coupons, dancing/karaoke and an auction of racing memorabilia. Doors open at 6 p.m., with a Cajun BBQ buffet dinner from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are limited and may be purchased at https://pdjf.org/purchaseTickets.php.

Auction items include a halter worn by champion Arrogate; a two-day trip to New York City featuring dinner at Bobby Flay’s restaurant Bar Americain; and lunch and fashion advice from TV personality, author and horseman Carson Kressley.

OPENING SUNDAY PROBABLE STAKES FIELD

$150,000 ADENA SPRINGS BEAUMONT (G3) (Entries close Thursday; Race Sunday, April 9) – Dancing Rags (Graham Motion), Laney (Eddie Kenneally), My Miss Chiff (Al Stall Jr.), My Sweet Stella (D. Wayne Lukas), Promises Broken (Phil Sims), Sine Wave (Ben Perkins Jr.), Sweet Loretta (Todd Pletcher), Tapped (Jerry Hollendorfer), Treble (Ron Moquett).

2017 SPRING MEET SPECIAL EVENTS

Through Keeneland September Yearling Sale

Keeneland Library exhibit “Man o’ War: Images from the Keeneland Library Collections.” Exhibit features 16 shots of Man o’ War during his racing career and years at stud by Charles Christian Cook, Joseph Alvie Estes, Robert Lee McClure and Bert Clark Thayer. The Library is open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. During the 2017 Spring Meet, it also is open on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Library’s online exhibit “Man o’ War: In Others’ Words” tells the story of Man o’ War’s life, accomplishments and influence through images from its collection that are accompanied by quotations from the horse’s connections, including owner Samuel D. Riddle and trainer Louis Feustel, along with contemporary sports writers and modern biographers.

Thursday, April 6

Official Keeneland Tour. Available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in April at 8:30 a.m. ET. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets ($8 per person; 12 and younger free).

“Keeneland Magazine on TV.” Spring stories include “Big Red Star.” After returning to his Kentucky birthplace, Horse of the Century Man o’ War drew admirers from around the world. Half-hour program airs at 10 p.m. on The CW Lexington.

Friday, April 7 – Opening Day

Official Keeneland Tour.

NEW Behind-the-Scenes Racing Tour. For an insider’s view of Keeneland, Tour Guides will lead guests to the track’s behind-the-scenes areas such as the Jockeys Quarters, where some of the world’s leading riders prepare for their race day; to the barns, where the race day begins; to the track to see morning workouts and through the picturesque Keeneland Paddock. A limited number of dates and tickets ($25 per person) are available for this exclusive experience. The two-hour tour begins at 9 a.m. and is limited to 10 people. Click here for more information.

The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents Christine A. Moore Millinery and Forme Millinery adjacent to the Walking Ring from 9 a.m. to the last race.

College Scholarship Day. Thousands of students from colleges and universities in Kentucky and beyond will be at the track for this popular event. Admission is free with a college ID. Full-time students can register in the North Terrace to win one of ten $1,000 scholarships awarded after each race and prizes from local vendors. The first 2,000 students to register will receive a Keeneland College Scholarship Day T-shirt courtesy of Coca-Cola or a Southern Proper hat. The $10,000 Runhappy Scholarship will be awarded via random drawing to one lucky full-time student after the eighth race post parade. 

Tailgating on The Hill. Keeneland’s popular tailgate lot, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center, features local food trucks, a jumbo television screen, wireless wagering and wagering terminals, race-day programs, The Keeneland Shop kiosk and free shuttles to the track. BETologists will be available to answer fans’ questions.

Friday Pick 4 Presented by TVG. A $200,000-guaranteed pool will be offered on the final four races of the day.

Saturday, April 8

Sunrise Trackside. Keeneland shares a special side of Thoroughbred racing that is worth getting up early to enjoy. Sponsored by LEX18, Sunrise Trackside is a free, family-friendly event with activities for all ages: Breakfast With the Works features breakfast for purchase and trackside commentary (7-8:30 a.m.) while Thoroughbreds train on the main track; children’s activities in the Kids Club Corner (7-9 a.m.); Keeneland tours (7:30-10 a.m.); Paddock demonstration with Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (9 a.m.); trackside handicapping seminar with Paddock Host Katie Gensler and racing analyst Tom Leach (11 a.m.); and Q&A session with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. in the Paddock (12:05 p.m.). Hernandez is riding McCraken in the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G2) that afternoon.

The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents Christine A. Moore Millinery and Forme Millinery adjacent to the Walking Ring from 9 a.m. to the last race.

Tailgating on The Hill. Keeneland’s popular tailgate lot, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center, features local food trucks, a jumbo television screen, wireless wagering and wagering terminals, race-day programs, The Keeneland Shop kiosk and free shuttles to the track. One of Central Kentucky’s favorite bluegrass bands will perform from 12-4 p.m. BETologists will be available to answer fans’ questions.

$400,000 All-Stakes Pick 4 Presented by TVG. Features races 7-10: Shakertown (G2), Madison (G1), Central Bank Ashland (G1) and Toyota Blue Grass (G2).

$300,000 All-Stakes Pick 5 Presented by TVG. Features races 6-10: Commonwealth (G3), Shakertown, Madison, Central Bank Ashland and Toyota Blue Grass.

Sunday, April 9

Kids Club Family Day. The Keeneland Kids Club is the Official Kids Club for Keeneland fans 12 and younger. Members and their families are invited to enjoy a special day at the races by receiving free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seating. Children’s activities will take place in the North Terrace from noon to 3 p.m.

Source: Keeneland Association