Mighty Heart, Proxy, Warrant top Ben Ali entries

Photo: Michael Burns photo

Two-time Canadian Horse of the Year Mighty Heart, the multiple graded stakes-placed Proxy and Santa Anita Handicap (G1) runner-up Warrant headline a field of eight entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 91st running of the Ben Ali (G3) for 4-year-olds and up at Keeneland.

The Ben Ali, run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, will be run as the eighth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 4:44 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1 p.m.

Click here for Keeneland entries and results.

Lawrence Cordes’ homebred Mighty Heart will be making his 2022 debut for trainer Josie Carroll. Winner of three stakes in 2021 and a four-time Sovereign Award winner, Mighty Heart has had six works since returning from a short layoff. His two most recent works were at Keeneland.

James Graham has the mount Saturday and will leave from post position 2.

Godolphin’s homebred Proxy returned to the races following a 10 1/2-month layoff with an allowance victory at Fair Grounds, which was followed by a runner-up effort to Olympiad in the New Orleans Classic (G2) on March 26.

Trained by Mike Stidham, Proxy chased the likes of Hot Rod Charlie, Mandaloun and Midnight Bourbon on the Kentucky Derby trail before a fourth-place finish in the Stonestreet Lexington (G3) in his final start of 2021.

Brian Hernandez Jr., who has been aboard Proxy for his two starts this year, has the call Saturday and will break from post position three.

Twin Creeks Racing Stable’s Warrant, beaten a head by Express Train in the Big Cap in his most recent start, closed his 2021 campaign with a victory in the Oklahoma Derby (G3). Trained by Brad Cox, Warrant will be ridden by Flavien Prat from post position 5.

2022 Ben Ali (G3)

Read More

This is the 17th and final installment of a weekly feature exclusive to Horse Racing Nation tracking the...
Forever Young earned a sparkling 140 Horse Racing Nation speed figure for his victory in Saturday's Breeders' Cup...
The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, held Monday at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Ky., posted sales of more than...
Owen Almighty , the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby winner who most recently placed third in the Perryville...
A decade after Michelle Payne became the first woman win Australia's most famous race, Jamie Melham has etched herself...