La Troienne Next Engagement for Sheer Drama

Before trainer David Fawkes began the drive back to his South Florida base Sunday morning, he gave Harold Queen’s Sheer Drama the once over after her neck victory over Stopchargingmaria in Saturday’s Madison (G1).

“I think that was her best effort,” Fawkes said of Sheer Drama’s third Grade 1 victory. “If she had run that race in the Breeders’ Cup (Distaff-G1) with that determination, she would have won but she was compromised by her post (13 of 14) that day.”

Sheer Drama had finished fourth to Stopchargingmaria in the Breeders’ Cup here last fall.

An earner of more than $1.6 million, Sheer Drama next will head to Louisville for the $300,000 La Troienne (G1) at 1 1/16 miles on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

“I plan to leave her here and probably work her once here and then go over,” Fawkes said. “I don’t want to back her up (to seven-eighths in the Humana Distaff-G1) and this (the La Troienne) was the race she was second in last year.”

Also stopping by to check in on Sheer Drama was regular rider Joe Bravo, who also won the Shakertown (G2) on Undrafted on Saturday.

“I think that was her best effort yet,” said Bravo, who has ridden Sheer Drama in her past nine starts. “After the year she had last year (three wins and four seconds in eight starts), you don’t expect that. You just hope they come back good.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has been in New York, said Stopchargingmaria would make her next start in the $1 million Ogden Phipps (G1) at 1 1/6 miles on Belmont Stakes Day, reported Daily Racing Form. The Madison marked her first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) here last October.

Third-place finisher Wavell Avenue, who finished two lengths behind Stopchargingmaria, was fine Sunday morning, according to trainer Chad Brown’s assistant Baldo Hernandez. The Madison was her first race since she won the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) here.

Saturday marked a record day at Keeneland, which posted an all-time single-day handle record of $21,736,983.

All-sources wagering included $20,805,455 handled on Keeneland’s 11 live races; $423,679 wagered on the Big Apple/Bluegrass Pick 4; and on-track simulcast handle of $507,849. 

 

The record bested the previous record of $21,647,378 set on Toyota Blue Grass Day, April 14, 2012.

 

Saturday’s program was highlighted by three Grade 1 stakes – the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1), won by Brody’s Cause; $500,000 Central Bank Ashland, won by Weep No More; and $300,000 Madison, won by Sheer Drama – and featured an All-Stakes Pick 4, All-Stakes Pick 5 and a special Big Apple/Bluegrass Pick 4 on the Toyota Blue Grass and Madison from Keeneland and Wood Memorial (G1) and Bay Shore (G3) from Aqueduct.

On-track attendance was 20,848.

Ruth Schmidt, assistant to trainer Josie Carroll, said Ivan Dalos’ Ami’s Flatter came out of his victory in Saturday’s Commonwealth (G3) in good order but plans for a next start are undetermined.

“There are lots of possibilities for him,” said Schmidt, who is overseeing Carroll’s Keeneland string for the trainer who was at Woodbine for that track’s opening day Saturday.

One possibility could be the $500,000 Churchill Downs (G2) to be run at seven furlongs on May 7 on the Kentucky Derby card.

One horse penciled in for that race is Katherine Ball’s Limousine Liberal. Making his 2016 debut Saturday, the Ben Colebrook trainee broke the Keeneland track record for 6½ furlongs with a 1:15.05 clocking in an allowance victory.

Good Friends Stable’s Private Zone, second in the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) here last fall, continued working toward his 2016 debut with a half-mile breeze in :46.60 shortly after the main track opened Sunday morning. “He burned the track up this morning,” trainer Brian Lynch said.

Working after the break was Fortino Inc.’s Lexington (G3) probable entrant Yo Carm, who covered a half-mile in :50 for trainer Neil Pessin. Working earlier for Pessin was Lothenbach Stables’ Eden Prairie, who covered a half-mile in :49.20 in preparation for Saturday’s Giant’s Causeway.

$300,000 MAKER’S 46 MILE (G1) (entries taken Tuesday, race Friday, April 15) – Conquest Typhoon, Dac, Heart to Heart, Reload, Shining Copper, Tourist.

$350,000 COOLMORE JENNY WILEY (G1) (entries taken Wednesday; race Saturday, April 16) – Akatea (IRE), Dacita (CHI), Illuminant, Recepta, Tepin, Wekeela (FR).

$200,000 BEN ALI (G3) (entries taken Wednesday; race Saturday, April 16) – Ami’s Holiday, Breaking Lucky, Doyouknowsomething, Eagle, General a Rod, Neck ‘n Neck.

$150,000 LEXINGTON (G3) (entries taken Wednesday; race Saturday, April 16) – Big Squeeze, Direct Message, Lomcevak, Pinson, Riker, Swipe, Synchrony, Yo Carm.

$100,000 GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (entries taken Wednesday; race Saturday, April 16) – Eden Prairie, Exaggerated, Jewel of a Cat, Lindisfarne, Maggiesfreuddnslip, Miss Ella, Miss Matzoball, Rapid Rhythm, Sweet Success.

$150,000 ADENA SPRINGS BEAUMONT (G3) (entries taken Thursday, April 14; race Sunday, April 17) – Cosmic Girl, Kinsley Kisses, Lightstream, Nickname, Northwest Tale, R Girls a Charmer.

Friday was opening day of Keeneland’s 2016 Spring Meet and the day of one of the track’s most popular special events of each racing season, College Scholarship Day. Keeneland partners with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association to host the day, which offers free admission to students with a college ID. A total of 1,664 students from colleges and universities in Kentucky and beyond registered to win scholarships and prizes.

By the end of the day, $20,000 worth of scholarships and $7,000 worth of prizes were given away.

Scholarship winners were Corri Muha from Georgetown College; Rachael Hill from Morehead State University; Madisson Dougherty from Northern Kentucky University; Andre Antoine, Laura Brown, Meredith Davis and Amelia Stanley from Transylvania University; and Hana Hafer, Logan Layne and John Randolph from the University of Kentucky.

Sarah Gossett from UK won the $10,000 Runhappy Scholarship, offered by Jim and Linda McIngvale, owners of champion sprinter Runhappy.