Defending winner Renown heads Keeneland's Sycamore Stakes field
Merriebelle Stable’s Renown (GB) will face 12 rivals Thursday when he attempts to become the fifth horse to win the $100,000 Sycamore (G3) going 1½ miles over the Keeneland turf course in consecutive years.
The Sycamore will go as the eighth race on Thursday’s nine-race program with a 4:57 p.m. ET post time. First post time is 1:05 p.m.
Trained by Elizabeth Voss, Renown captured last year’s running by a nose. With a victory Thursday, he would join Holiday Star (2014-2015), Rochester (2001-2002), Royal Strand (IRE) (1998-1999) and Gleaming Key (1996-1997) as horses who have repeated in the race.
Chris DeCarlo has the mount on Renown, who will break from post position six. Top threats to Renown include recent stakes winners Big Bend and Canessar (FR).
Union Rags Racing’s Big Bend won the Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 10 in his most recent start. Trained by Tom Proctor, Big Bend will be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke and break from post position 11.
Guy Pariente’s Canessar won the Laurel Turf Cup in Maryland in his U.S. debut Sept. 16. Trained Arnaud Delacour, Canessar will break from post position three and be ridden by Feargal Lynch.
The field for the Sycamore, with riders and weights, is: Final Copy (Corey Lanerie, 118 pounds), Some in Tieme(BRZ) (Robby Albarado, 123), Canessar (FR) (Lynch, 121), Tasit (Julien Leparoux, 121), Tobias (Sophie Doyle, 121), Renown (GB) (DeCarlo, 121), Majestic Pride (Alex Canchari, 121), Hardest Core (Emma-Jayne Wilson, 121), Infinite Wisdom (Channing Hill, 121), Flashy Chelsey (Jose Ortiz, 121), Big Bend (Van Dyke, 118), Nessy(Brian Hernandez Jr., 121) and Manitoulin (Florent Geroux, 121).
Canessar aims to keep U.S. record perfect
Trainer Arnaud Delacour received a four-legged present from France in early August by the name of Canessar (FR), and the 4-year-old’s American unveiling was an unqualified success.
“We were excited to get him,” Delacour said of the gelding owned by Guy Pariente. “I had seen his races in France and he is a good long-distance horse.”
Canessar made his U.S. debut on Sept. 16, winning the Laurel Turf Cup going 1½ miles, the same distance he will have to navigate Thursday in the 23rd running of the $100,000 Sycamore (G3).
“The only question was how he would handle the firm turf,” Delacour said. “It is a different kind of firm over there, but he handled the course at Laurel well.”
On Thursday, Canessar again will be matched against the two horses that finished right behind him at Laurel: Infinite Wisdom, who was favored that day, and Renown (GB), winner of last year’s Sycamore.
Hardest Core and traveling companion arrive
Andrew P. Bentley Stables’ Hardest Core, an entrant for Thursday’s Sycamore (G3), arrived at Keeneland around 6 a.m. ET Tuesday with trainer Eddie Graham’s assistants, Brianne and James Slater. The couple also brought their 6-year-old son, William, as well as Pepper, a miniature horse who is the stable’s traveling mascot.
While Hardest Core made a name for himself in winning the 2014 Arlington Million (G1), Pepper has attracted his own fan club. He first came to Keeneland last October as the companion for Postulation, who was unplaced in the Sycamore.
Pepper accompanied Postulation to Woodbine this past weekend and shipped home with him to the owner’s 550-acre Runnymede Farm in the heart of Pennsylvania’s horse country. He was back on the road Monday evening for the journey to Keeneland.
“Pepper is probably wondering ‘where am I now?’,” Brianne Slater said.
When not serving as the stable’s roadie, Pepper spends time at the farm in a paddock with other horses and is adept at calming nervous fillies. Pepper also moonlights as William’s mount.
Hardest Core stretched his legs over Keeneland’s all-weather 5-furlong training track with James Slater aboard at 9:30 a.m. A three-time Keeneland sales graduate, Hardest Core has won six of 16 starts and earned $874,561. Emma-Jayne Wilson is to ride the 7-year-old Hard Spun gelding in the Sycamore.