Ageless Tops Full Franklin County Field

A total of 16 turf sprinters that includes two also-eligibles were entered Tuesday for Friday’s 18th running of the $100,000 Buffalo Trace Franklin County at 5 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares.

Headlining the field is Lael Stable’s Ageless, winner of the 2014 Giant’s Causeway, Keeneland’s spring equivalent of the Buffalo Trace Franklin County.

Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Ageless will attempt to become the fourth horse to sweep the Giant’s Causeway and Buffalo Trace Franklin County in the same year. The others are Dyna Da Wyna (2004), Confessional (2001) and Ayrial Delight (1999).

A three-time stakes winner in 2014 and most recently third in the Presque Isle Downs Masters (G2) on an all-weather surface, Ageless will be ridden by Julien Leparoux and break from post position two.

Back to challenge Ageless from the Giant’s Causeway are the 2-3 finishers in Free as a Bird and Sweet Cassiopeia.

Owned by Elizabeth Valando and trained by Ian Wilkes, Free as a Bird has won four consecutive stakes since falling three-quarters of a length short of Ageless in the Giant’s Causeway. Joel Rosario has the mount on Free as a Bird, who will break from post position 12.

Don Considine and Steve Snowden’s Sweet Cassiopeia, winner of the 2013 Giant’s Causeway, finished third in this race last year. Trained by Bill Connelly, Sweet Cassiopeia will break from post position 13 and be ridden by Joe Rocco Jr.

The field for the Buffalo Trace Franklin County, which will go as Friday’s ninth race with a 5:13 p.m. ET post time, is: Sky Treasure (Shaun Bridgmohan, 120 pounds), Ageless (Leparoux, 124), Eden Prairie (Florent Geroux, 120), Flower Spell (Rosie Napravnik, 120), Richies Sweetheart (Rafael Hernandez, 118), Macaroon (Luis Saez, 118), Quay (Robby Albarado, 120), To My Valentine (FR) (Edgar Zayas, 120), Quality Lass (John Bisono, 120), In a Jif (Albin Jimenez, 120), Jewel of a Cat (Paco Lopez, 120), Free as a Bird (Rosario, 122), Sweet Cassiopeia (Rocco Jr., 120) and Vuitton (Corey Lanerie, 120). Also-eligibles: Liz Pendens (Miguel Mena, 120) and Soft Whisper (Bridgmohan, 120).