In Italian takes foes gate to wire in Jenny Wiley at Keeneland

Lexington, Ky.

Not much went wrong for odds-on favorite In Italian on Saturday in the Grade 1, $600,000 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland. 

Irad Ortiz Jr. got her out of the gate quickly, and she raced to an early lead that she never relinquished.

“That was pretty nice,” Ortiz said. “She’s always nice when I get on her. She always gives you that feeling. What can I say?”

Making her first start since Joel Rosario rode her to a close second over the same course in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, the 6-year-old daughter of Dubawi led at every call of the 1 1/16-mile race on the firm grass. She has done that in all six of her victories, including three Grade 1s.

“She was just freshening up at Payson Park in Florida,” owner Peter Brant said. “We did that with (2018 winner) Sistercharlie, and it worked. It was nice to have a fresh horse, and she’s very special.”

So what could go wrong? Just ask winning trainer Chad Brown. If only he had been available for comment.

“Unfortunately, he got tied up in Atlanta, Ga., and couldn’t make it,” Brant said. “They canceled his flight.”

Otherwise it was a perfect, 79-degree day in the sunshine for the winners. In Italian (3-5) was alert in the paddock, and she stayed that way with her ears pricked from go to whoa. Ortiz had her in hand around the backstretch, and then she responded to his push of the button in the run home, opening up to win by three lengths.

Nothing to it, right?

“I know it looks easy, but it’s not easy,” Ortiz said with a glowing smile. “You have some nice fillies and great riders. You’re never confident against them. But she proves that she’s so nice winning tough races. The trainer did a great job coming off the layoff. She was 100 percent.”

Three race-day scratches left five rival fillies and mares to be In Italian’s supporting players. Queen Goddess (5-1), competing for the first time since she won the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) on Jan. 28, tried to keep up for a while. She was within a length of the lead before she wilted to a last-place finish.

Godolphin homebred and 2022 Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) victor With The Moonlight (2-1), coming off a pair of Grade 2 wins in Dubai, mounted what came closest to looking like a challenge to In Italian. William Buick rode her to finish second for trainer Charlie Appleby, who also got stuck with a runner-up finish Friday with champion Modern Games in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1).

White Frost (7-1), a Grade 3 winner who was a close second last month in the Honey Fox (G3) at Gulfstream Park, was third most of the way around the firm course, and that was where she finished with Frankie Dettori riding for trainer Bill Mott.

Skims (37-1), a Grade 2 victor last fall, and Pizza Bianca (21-1), the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner for owner Bobby Flay, finished fourth and fifth, in that order, ahead of Queen Goddess.

In Italian won with a time of 1:39.71 after she set early fractions of 23.63, 47.29, 1:10.66 and 1:33.78. She paid $3.50, $2.38 and $2.10; With The Moonlight $3.10 and $2.62; and White Frost $3.42.

In absentia, Brown won the Jenny Wiley for a record fifth time. Brant won it for the third time, having done so first with Sistercharlie and then with Regal Glory last spring. The victory raised In Italian’s career earnings to $1,635,308, a nice return on an investment of $609,434 at the Tattersalls yearling sale 3 1/2 years ago in England.

As for an encore, Brant said a cutback to one mile in the Just A Game (G1) on June 9, the eve of the Belmont Stakes, might be in the works.

“I’m going to let her get the tack off and get with Chad,” Brant said.

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