Keeneland: Maker’s Mark Mile is scratched down to 7 starters

Lexington, Ky.

The Grade 1, $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile became a shadow of its intended self Friday when six horses were scratched, nearly halving what had been an oversubscribed field.

The 9-5 morning-line favorite and reigning division champion Notable Speech held his ground, perhaps making him the reason others decided there were better spots to race.

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Two-time Grade 1 winner Deterministic (5-1) and durable 8-year-old gelding Wolfie’s Dynaghost (8-1) were among the five horses taken out of the field as stakes scratches. So were 30-1 long shots Troubleshooting, Tenacious Leader and Bear River. Pitkin (30-1) was scratched because he was an also-eligible entrant.

Trainer Miguel Clément did not telegraph Deterministic’s scratch when he was interviewed Wednesday by Horse Racing Nation. He could not be reached for comment early Friday afternoon. The 5-year-old horse owned by St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steve Duncker and Vicarage Stable was entered to make his comeback from an unspecified setback after winning the Fourstardave (G1) in August at Saratoga. He had been shipped from Florida to Kentucky on Sunday.

Greg Foley was unavailable to say why he scratched Troubleshooting. The winner of the Franklin-Simpson (G1) in September at Kentucky Downs followed with an October win in the Bryan Station (G3) and a ninth-place November result in the Commonwealth Turf (G3) at Churchill Downs. Friday’s race would have been his 4-year-old debut.

Brian Lynch decided to point Wolfie’s Dynaghost toward the 1 1/8-mile Turf Classic (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs.

“I just think he’s better suited to a mile-and-an-eighth, and I couldn’t run him in both races,” Lynch said Friday afternoon after he saddled Slay the Day’s victory in the Limestone (G3) sprint for 3-year-old fillies. “I just think he’s vulnerable at a mile. At a mile-and-an-eighth I think he can stretch them out a little bit and take a breather himself.”

The May 2 Turf Classic race is sponsored by Old Forester, another bourbon distiller.

Todd Pletcher cross-entered Tenacious Leader in a first-level allowance race Sunday at Keeneland for non-winners of two. Pitkin, who is trained by Ian Wilkes, also was cross-entered for that race. Both 4-year-old colts are allowance victors who have not won at the stakes level.

Keith Desormeaux said he removed Bear River after he finished ninth only six days ago in the 5 1/2-furlong Shakertown (G2) at Keeneland.

The scratches took a lot of early speed out of the race. Deterministic, Wolfie’s Dynaghost and Bear River were figured to go forward. Without them, Zulu Kingdom (12-1) and Brilliant Berti (20-1) might be on the front end with Notable Speech, Rhetorical (7-2), One Stripe (8-1), Aomori City (20-1) and Tiz Dashing (20-1) racing from off the pace.

Notable Speech, a Godolphin homebred, 5-year-old entire who is based in Charlie Appleby’s England stable, comes in off back-to-back North America wins to finish 2025. He took the Woodbine Mile (G1) in September and the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar in November. Those wins propelled him to the Eclipse Award as the top older turf male in the U.S. and Canada.

Aomori City, who is Notable Speech’s stablemate, was reported as a first-time gelding by Equibase. Racing Post, however, said the 4-year-old was gelded last spring. He has raced twice since in the Middle East, finishing second in the Zabeel Mile (G2) at Meydan and then 12th of 15 in the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup.

On a sunny, 75-degree day, the Maker’s Mark Mile will be run around two turns on firm going Friday at 5:16 p.m. EDT.