Keeneland: Notable Speech, Cy Fair return from Breeders' Cup

Two Breeders' Cup winners, Notable Speech and Cy Fair, return to action next Friday at Keeneland. 

Godolphin’s Notable Speech, winner of last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Mile and the year’s champion turf male, headlines a field of 12 plus one also-eligible entered Friday for the 38th running of the Grade 1, $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile for 4-year-olds and up.

Click here for Keeneland entries and results.

The Maker’s Mark Mile will go as the ninth race Friday, April 10 with a 5:16 p.m. EDT post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Notable Speech will be making his first start since his Breeders’ Cup triumph at Del Mar. A four-time Grade or Group 1 winner, Notable Speech will be ridden by William Buick from post 4.

Appleby will have a second starter for Godolphin in the race in Aomori City. A Group 2 winner in England, Aomori City will be ridden by Richard Mullen from post 5.

Also making his 2026 debut is Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) winner Rhetorical for trainer Will Walden.

Owned by the partnership of Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable, Rhetorical finished fourth as the second choice behind Notable Speech in the Breeders’ Cup. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 1.

Rhetorical worked a half-mile on a fast main track Friday morning in 48.4 seconds.

Three other top-level winners are in the field: Franklin-Simpson (G1) winner Troubleshooting, American Turf (G1) winner Zulu Kingdom and Deterministic, winner of both the Fourstardave (G1) and Manhattan (G1).

Cy Fair, a two-time winner over males, including a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1), headlines a field of 12 3-year-old fillies plus two also-eligibles entered Friday for the seventh running of the $350,000 Limestone (G3) going 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass.

The Limestone will go as the seventh race next Friday with a 4:12 p.m. EDT post time.

Trained by George Weaver for the partnership of Medallion Racing, Swinbank Stables, Joey Platts and Mark Stanton, Cy Fair has won three of four starts. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 9.

The field also includes Lennilu, who was third in the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot last year but seventh behind Cy Fair at the Breeders' Cup. Lennilu returned to action March 22 at Gulfstream, winning the five-furlong Melody of Colors Stakes for trainer Patrick Biancone.