Leinster edges fellow Arnold trainee Totally Boss in Shakertown

Leinster and Totally Boss, two stablemates from the Rusty Arnold barn who’ve faced each other often, met again Saturday at the wire of Keeneland’s Grade 2, $150,000 Shakertown Stakes. A photo finish revealed it was Leinster who prevailed by the slimmest of margins.

A 5-year-old son of Majestic Warrior, Leinster covered 5 ½ furlongs in 1:00.86 ­– a stakes and course record.

Leinster went off a 10-1 shot in the Shakertown, which drew a field of 13 horses. Breaking from post No. 13, jockey Tyler Gaffalione found a good spot for Leinster on the outside of leaders Bound for Nowhere and Tiger Blood, who went the first quarter-mile in :21.16.

Gaffalione and Leinster sat fourth coming through the turn, then came four-wide into the stretch. The winner picked off Bound for Nowhere in the final 50 yards, then hit the wire as Totally Boss made a hard-charging close in the center of the track.

Arnold earned his first graded stakes victory of 2020 and Leinster scored his second graded triumph. He also won Saratoga’s Troy Stakes (G3) last August as a 4-year-old.

Since last September, Leinster and Totally Boss tangled in Kentucky Downs’ Turf Sprint Stakes (G3), the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park and a Churchill Downs allowance. Leinster finished ahead of his stablemate in two of those three starts, and barely did so again Saturday.

“Well that’s probably the first time in my life I was begging for a dead heat,” Arnold quipped after the Shakertown. “I’ve watched it three times and I couldn’t tell. It was going to work good for me, but it would’ve worked really good if it had been a dead heat.”

The year-end goal for both Leinster and Totally Boss is the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint over the same Keeneland course in November.

“I think the race today was good enough to get them both in – probably, not sure,” Arnold said. “But we’ll work our way backwards from that and that’s where we want them both.”

For Gaffalione, it marked the jockey’s second narrow win over Keeneland’s turf in as many days. He was also aboard War of Will for another photo finish victory Friday in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1).

“Really, I just ride good horses,” Gaffalione said of his turf form. “You’ve got to have the horses to get the job done.”

Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables LLC and Jean Wilkinson campaign Leinster, who paid $22.40 as the winner. Behind the top duo of Arnold trainees, Bound for Nowhere finished third.