Quidura will continue racing as a 4-year-old in 2017

Gestuf Faerhof’s Quidura (GB) will continue racing as a 4-year-old next year after winning Friday’s Pin Oak Valley View (G3) by 1¼ lengths under Junior Alvarado.

The stakes marked the fourth graded stakes victory of Keeneland’s Fall Meet for trainer Graham Motion and ties a meet record shared by Ben Jones, D. Wayne Lukas and Todd Pletcher.

“It is one of those things you always hope for but you never dream it would really happen,” Motion’s assistant Alice Clapham said of the milestone. “Our horses just seem to be getting really good at this time of year.”

Tentative plans call for Quidura to receive a winter vacation before returning to action next year. In capturing the Pin Oak Valley View, the daughter of Dubawi earned her first stakes victory while improving her record to 4-3-0-0 and $141,777 in earnings.

“Our plan was to run her here and see what happened,” Clapham said. “The owners are really excited and it looks like she will run next year, which will be very exciting.”

Trainer Ian Wilkes said Whitham Thoroughbreds’ homebred Linda, the Pin Oak Valley View runner-up, likely would point to the $200,000 Mrs. Revere (G2) going 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25.

“I was very pleased with her yesterday, and she’s fine this morning,” Wilkes said of the daughter of Scat Daddy who was making her stakes debut. “The plan next is the Mrs. Revere.”

Linda has two wins and Friday’s runner-up finish in her three turf starts after beginning her career on dirt.

“I guess I was a slow learner,” Wilkes said with a laugh of moving the filly to the grass. “She had run good on the dirt. Since we put her on the turf, she has done very well.”

Reeve McGaughey, assistant to his father, Shug, said Pin Oak Valley View third-place finisher My Impression will ship back to McGaughey’s 20-horse division at Fair Hill training center in Maryland. Future plans are undecided.

“She ran well,” Reeve McGaughey said. “I don’t think she liked the soft turf but she handled it. She seems to have come out of it in good order.”

OWNER-BREEDER MCMAKIN WINS TWO CONSECUTIVE RACES FRIDAY

Nelson McMakin scored a back-to-double as owner and breeder on Friday’s card with victories in the fourth and fifth races.

In the fourth, first-time starter Promises Broken romped to a 12¼-length victory under Robby Albarado while covering seven furlongs over a sloppy track in 1:24.20. Promises Broken is a 2-year-old daughter of Algorithms out of the Broken Vow mare Strong Vows.

In the fifth, Favorite Coach got up in the final strides under Jack Gilligan to win a six-furlong starter allowance race by a head in 1:11.21. Favorite Coach is a 5-year-old son of Stephen Got Even out of the Favorite Trick mare Bella Coachella.

Phil Sims trains both winners for McMakin, who owned and bred 2009 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) winner Hot Cha Cha. Sims also trained Hot Cha Cha.

“He was tickled to death,” Sims said Saturday morning. “He has been in the business 40 years and he loves to win races here.”

Promises Broken was listed at 12-1 on the morning line but went off as the third choice in the field of 10 betting choices and paid $10.

Sims was not sure what to expect from Promises Broken in her debut and did not envision a blowout performance.

“You never know, but she had done everything right in the morning,” Sims said, adding he didn’t think the off track was a contributing factor. “She’s a very honest filly.”

Sims said an allowance race at Churchill Downs likely would be next on tap for Promises Broken.

BREEDERS’ CUP CONTENDERS STABLED AT KEENELAND

Keeneland is home to several potential contenders during the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita on Nov. 4-5.

Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 26.

*Runhappy is based at Keeneland’s The Thoroughbred Center, located nearly 12 miles northeast of the track. He worked at Keeneland on Aug. 25, Sept. 1, Sept. 8, Sept. 25, Oct. 12 and Oct. 19.

APPRENTICE JENNIFER MILLER MAKES RIDING DEBUT

Jennifer Miller was a professional rider in a sport that is quite the opposite of Thoroughbred racing. On Friday, she displayed that she has transferred her skills by riding as a professional jockey for the first time in Keeneland’s fourth race. Her mount, Richard Peardon’s Trust in Diane, finished sixth for trainer Joe Sharp while also making her career debut.

“I have been riding Trust in Diane in the mornings since summer so she is special to me,” she said about the 2-year-old Macho Uno filly. “It is great to see her progress.” 

Miller grew up in western Massachusetts where she trail rode her own horse. With a desire to be in the saddle more often, she went to a local stable to work in exchange for lessons. The barn specialized in dressage in which horse and rider perform predetermined movements at slow gaits. Miller excelled in the sport and eventually was paid to train and show for others.

To increase her income, Miller went to work as a stable hand two years ago for a mutual friend with racehorses in South Florida. She quickly was promoted to riding the Thoroughbreds.

“Next thing I knew, I was hooked on racing,” she said.

Miller went to work for Sharp in February and now plans to gain more jockey experience at Churchill Downs next month before deciding on where to ride this winter.

“Joe and (his wife former jockey) Rosie Napravnik and their whole team have been fantastic and supportive,” Miller said.

GALLOPING OUT

Apprentice Katie Clawson scored her first Keeneland victory Saturday when she rode Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s favored Newfound Gold to victory in the seventh race. Mike Maker trains the winner, a 9-year-old gelding by Newfoundland, who took the six-furlong race by a length in 1:10.59. …

Jose Ortiz, who has ridden 10 winners in his first Keeneland meet to tie with Corey Lanerie in second in the leading rider standings, has returned to his Belmont Park base but will return for the Oct. 27 Keeneland program, according to his agent, Jimmy Riccio. Ortiz is North America’s third-leading rider by earnings and is second by wins. Julien Leparoux has won 12 races to lead all riders. …

On select race days during Keeneland’s Fall Meet, grooms of racehorses determined to have the best overall appearance in the Saddling Paddock are recognized with cash prizes as part of the Best Turned Out Awards. The contest began on opening day and continues with sponsors presenting awards on Sunday (Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital) and Saturday, Oct. 29(Hagyard Equine Medical Institute).

WORK TAB

Wimborne Farm’s Kasaqui (ARG) tuned up for a probable start in next Saturday’s Hagyard Fayette (G2) by working five furlongs in 1:01 after the renovation break for trainer Ignacio Correas IV. Fifth in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) on Oct. 8, Kasaqui would be making his first start on dirt in the Hagyard Fayette since April 2015 in Argentina. …

Stonestreet Stables’ Valadorna, a stylish six-length maiden winner here Oct. 7 in her second start, worked five furlongs in company in :59.60 after the break. Trained by Mark Casse, Valadorna is under consideration for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be run Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.

Source: Keeneland Association