Blue Grass Contenders Exit in Good Order
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The morning after the 91st running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1), the connections of winner Carpe Diem and many of his rivals reported the horses came out of the race in good order.
Carpe Diem and runner-up Danzig Moon punched their tickets to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), while the next starts for third-place finisher Ocho Ocho Ocho and fourth-place finisher Frammento are to be determined.
Carpe Diem: WinStar Farm and Stonestreet Stables’ Carpe Diem exited his three-length victory “great,” according to trainer Todd Pletcher. The colt will remain at Keeneland “for now,” the conditioner texted Sunday morning.
Carpe Diem has 164 points toward the Kentucky Derby to put him safely in the starting gate for the race. He is third behind Louisiana Derby (G2) winner International Star and yesterday’s Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner, Dortmund.
Danzig Moon: Sarah Campion, assistant to trainer Mark Casse, said Danzig Moon came out of the race well and most likely will ship to Churchill on Monday to join the Casse string.
Danzig Moon has 45 points toward the Kentucky Derby and stands 12th on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
Ocho Ocho Ocho: Early Sunday morning, the colt left Keeneland to return to California. Ocho Ocho Ocho is 19th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
“He got pretty tired yesterday, but then he had a right to since he did not get much out of his first race of the year,” trainer Jim Cassidy said, referring to the colt’s troubled trip in the San Felipe (G2).
Cassidy said the Derby remains a possibility, but he wants to see how the colt responds from the race back at Santa Anita.
“I’d like to see him bounce back like Evening Jewel did back in 2010,” Cassidy said before leaving Lexington. “She was exhausted after she won the Ashland and I thought there was no way she would come back in four weeks in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). But after three days, she was climbing over the webbing, so we came back for the Oaks.”
In the Oaks, Evening Jewel was beaten a nose by Blind Luck.
Frammento: Also picking up Derby points Saturday was Frammento, who rallied to finish fourth.
“He would have easily been second or third if he had gotten to the outside in the stretch where he would have exploded,” trainer Nick Zito said.
Frammento has 20 points and is 28th on the Derby leaderboard.
“He is a true mile and a quarter horse,” Zito said. “We’ll run if we can get in. We’ll see what happens. He loves it here and we will stay here until we know (if he gets in). It doesn’t matter when we go over there (to Churchill) because he ran on it and trained on it last fall.”
Classy Class: Cheyenne Stables’ Classy Class was fine the morning after finishing fifth and eventually will return to New York with future races probably at a one-turn mile or seven furlongs, said Austin Luttrell, assistant to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.
Thirty minutes before the Toyota Blue Grass, McLaughlin won the $1 million TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct with Godolphin Racing’s Frosted.
Luttrell said Frosted, the fourth-leading point earner on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, likely will come to Keeneland to continue preparations for the Derby.
Unrivaled: Trainer Marya Montoya said Team Valor International’s Unrivaled was fine the morning after running seventh in his stakes debut and her Keeneland debut.
“He ate all his dinner, came out of the race good,” she said. “He’s a little tired.”
Montoya said Unrivaled is to leave Keeneland Monday morning and return to her base at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. She said the colt’s future plans are to be determined.
CENTRAL BANK ASHLAND WINNER LOVELY MARIA GIVES JONES STRONG HAND
Trainer Larry Jones has a one-two punch leading to the $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) following Lovely Maria’s 3 ¼-length victory in the $500,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) Saturday at Keeneland. Owned by former Kentucky Gov. Brereton C. Jones, Lovely Maria was exiting a runner-up effort to stablemate I’m a Chatterbox in the Rachel Alexandra (G3) at Fair Grounds. Fletcher and Carolyn Gray’s I’m a Chatterbox, who next won the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), now is in the stall adjacent to Lovely Maria.
“Lovely Maria appears to have come out well,” Jones said Sunday morning. “She ate everything last night, so everything appears to be good.”
Jones said Lovely Maria and I’m a Chatterbox will turn in their final works for the Oaks at Churchill on the Sunday before the race, “but they’ll stay here until then.”
Asked to compare Lovely Maria and I’m a Chatterbox, Jones said, “Right now I would say they’re even. As those coaches would say last night (in the Kentucky-Wisconsin game) when they were tied up at halftime, it was like they’re zero-zero.
“There’s too much stuff coming into play in between (now and the Oaks),” he added. “We don’t know what post or other factors may happen, so there’s no reason to worry about any of it now.”
Central Bank Ashland runner-up Angela Renee also is to be pointed to the Kentucky Oaks.
Trainer Brendan Walsh said Lassofthemohicans came out of her fourth-place finish in good order but had no immediate plans for a next start.
RICE FAMILY CELEBRATES PRINCESS VIOLET’S MADISON WIN
Keeneland’s Saturday card featured five consecutive graded stakes worth $2.275 million. The action began with the $350,000 Madison (G1) in which Barry Schwartz’s homebred Princess Violet held off multiple Grade 1 winner Stopchargingmaria to win by a half-length.
Keeneland’s Saturday card featured five consecutive graded stakes worth $2.275 million. The action began with the $350,000 Madison (G1) in which Barry Schwartz’s homebred Princess Violet held off multiple Grade 1 winner Stopchargingmaria to win by a half-length.
New York-based Linda Rice trains Princess Violet, whose previous stakes experience included a runner-up finish to eventual champion Untapable in the 2014 Mother Goose (G1). Early last week, Rice sent the 4-year-old Officer filly to Keeneland, where she was under the care of older brother Wayne, who galloped the filly before the race.
Linda Rice remained at Aqueduct for the Madison, while assistant Samantha Randazzo saddled Princess Violet at Keeneland. Much of the Rice family enjoyed a family gathering here.
“Linda’s filly ran a monster race, and that was fabulous,” Rice said. “My daughter came in (from Aqueduct) to ride my son’s horse, which is owned by my father.”
Rice was referring to Clyde Rice’s Choctaw Chuck, ninth in the Shakertown (G3). Kevin Rice trains Choctaw Chuck, who was ridden by Taylor Rice.
Wayne Rice said Princess Violet will leave Keeneland Sunday afternoon for a van ride back to New York and a return to Linda Rice, whom he called “my little baby sister.”
“It was extremely neat that I could be of assistance to her,” he said.
Lady Sabelia, who finished last of six as the favorite in the Madison, came out of the race OK, according to trainer Robin Graham. Lady Sabelia left Keeneland Sunday morning to return to her home base at Laurel in Maryland.
UPCOMING STAKES PROBABLES
$300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile (G1) (Entries taken Tuesday, race Friday, April 10) – Grand Arch, Home Run Kitten, Jack Milton, Karibu Gardens, Legendary (GB), Long On Value, Sayaad, Za Approval. Possible: Summer Front.
$300,000 Jenny Wiley (G1) (Entries taken Wednesday, race Saturday, April 11) – Ball Dancing, Eden Prairie, Emotional Kitten, Filimbi, Hard Not to Like, I’m Already Sexy, Personal Diary, Starstruck (IRE).
$250,000 Coolmore Lexington (G3) (Entries taken Wednesday, race Saturday, April 11) – Divining Rod, Henry Jones, Tiznow R J.
$150,000 Ben Ali (G3) (Entries taken Wednesday, race Saturday, April 11) – Farhaan, Golden Ticket, Java’s War, Mail, Majestic Harbor, Neck ‘n Neck, Protonico. Possible: Class Leader, Transparent.
$100,000 Giant’s Causeway (Entries taken Wednesday, race Saturday, April 11) – Ageless, Believe in Charlie, Free as a Bird, Gal About Town, Jewel of a Cat, Katie’s Eyes, Liberated.
$250,000 Adena Springs Beaumont (Entries taken Thursday, race Sunday, April 12) – Delightful Joy, Divine Dawn, Fantastic Style, Taylor S, Zeven. Possible: Harlan’s Destiny, Perchance.
$125,000 Appalachian (G3) Presented by Japan Racing Association (Entries taken Thursday, race Sunday, April 12) – Lady Eli, Mizz Money, Tiger Ride.
Source: Keeneland Barn Notes
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