Field of 10 Entered in Keith Gee Memorial

A field of 10 entered the $50,000 Keith Gee Memorial, which is slated for Sunday, Jan. 31, at 7½ furlongs over the Stall-Wilson turf course for 3-year-olds and is named after the late Keith Gee, former executive director of the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent Protective Association.

Topping the field is Abdullah Saeed Almaddah’s Sheikh of Sheikhs, who will be looking to shake off a disappointing 3-year-old bow when a distant third at second-choice 2-1 odds in the Grade III $100,000 Hutcheson Stakes going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 2. The sprint stakes-winning Wesley Ward-trained son of Discreetly Mine has never raced on grass, but has worked on the turf this winter, including a five-furlong breeze on Jan. 21 in 59.60 at Palm Meadows. Joel Rosario is named to ride from post nine.

 

Chief among his rivals looks to be another from a dynamite turf barn who is also exciting a loss in a dirt sprint. Steve Landers’ Brad Cox-trained Twirling Cinnamon was defeated at 6-5 favoritism last out in the $51,000 Sugar Bowl over Fair Grounds’ main course, but has proven before – in an allowance victory at this surface and trip at Indiana Grand in October – that he can handle the grass. James Graham picks up the mount from the outside post 10.

 

Trainer Joe Sharp has entered two – Dell Ridge Farm’s Tiznoble and Dede McGehee’s Dolphus – but is much more likely to run the former. Dolphus, who drew post three with Brian Hernandez, Jr., is cross-entered in a mile and 70-yard allowance one race prior on the card. The son of Lookin at Lucky would become more probable for the Gee if it were rained off the turf, according to Sharp. Tiznoble, on the other hand, broke his maiden in a turf route on Nov. 1 at Churchill Downs and exits a victory on a sealed, good surface at Fair Grounds going a mile. Sandwiched between those efforts was a fifth in his lone stakes attempt in the $75,000 Pulpit Stakes at Gulfstream Park West on Nov. 28. The son of Tiznow has been training forwardly, including a bullet five furlongs on Jan. 17. Francisco Torres gets the mount from post eight.

 

The always-dangerous Mike Maker barn ships in Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Oscar Nominated, who was a good second last out in a mile turf allowance at Churchill Downs on Nov. 20. The son of Kitten’s Joy was a claim two back for $75,000 from the barn of Bill Mott and has been training forwardly at Gulfstream Park. Miguel Mena, who has won four Fair Grounds stakes in the last 13 months for the Ramseys and Maker with International Star, picks up the mount from post six.