Trainer Makes First Keeneland Start With Miss Behaviour

It has been a while since Maryland-based trainer Phil Schoenthal has been at Keeneland, but a fast filly named Miss Behaviour could make the wait worthwhile.

“I have never started a horse here,” Schoenthal said. “I think the last time I was here, I was hot-walking for Todd (Pletcher) in 1995 or ‘96.”

Miss Behaviour, owned by Cal McWilliam and Neil Teitelbaum, is a two-time graded stakes winner who will race in Saturday’s 16th running of the $250,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2) for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on the main track. The 7-2 morning-line favorite, she will be ridden by Sheldon Russell and break from post position 11 in the 13-horse field.

“I like the draw to the outside,” Schoenthal said of the filly, who arrived at Keeneland on Thursday. “She’s always quick out of the gate and stays out of trouble.”

Winner of the Matron (G2) last year, Miss Behavior comes into the Lexus Raven Run off a 9 3/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Charles Town Oaks (G3) on Sept. 20.

“At Charles Town, to run seven furlongs you go around two turns, and some people thought that would be a problem for her,” Schoenthal said. “Turns out it was right up her alley, but she is going to be running against considerably better horses here.”

Miss Behaviour, a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Jump Start, has compiled an 11-5-4-1 record for earnings of $790,000. The lone off-the-board finish was in the one-mile Delta Princess (G3) last November.

“That just shows her quality; she shows up every time,” Schoenthal said. “At Delta, nothing really happened. It was the end of a long campaign and she had been battling some foot issues. Plus, traveling 20 hours with a 2-year-old filly is a lot to ask.”

Miss Behaviour has finished second in the Test (G1), Prioress (G2) and Victory Ride (G3) this year with her other victory coming in the Miss Preakness at Pimlico.

“That was probably the most nervous I have ever been for a race,” Schoenthal said. “She had started the year by running third in a little turf stake in a race in which we thought she would gallop. If she didn’t win the Miss Preakness, we were going to have to re-evaluate our expectations for her, but she won pretty easily.”

Miss Behaviour proved her mettle in the seven-furlong Test, finishing second to Sweet Reason.

“The Test was kind of a last-minute decision,” Schoenthal said. “We thought she belonged with the best sprinters and when she ran second, we were over the moon. It was like a win for us.”

 

Source: Keeneland Communications