Von Hemel Returns to Keeneland

It has been 2½ years since Donnie Von Hemel has been at Keeneland during a race meet, and that streak should end Friday when he sends Pin Oak Stable’s Gold Medal Dancer postward in the 20th running of the Hilliard Lyons Doubledogdare (G3).

“I don’t believe we have been there since Caleb’s Posse,” Von Hemel said from Churchill Downs. Caleb’s Posse did his major prep work at Keeneland for the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), which he won by a widening four lengths.

In Gold Medal Dancer, who will be ridden Friday by Luis Quinonez, Von Hemel has a filly that won her career debut on Polytrack at Arlington in September 2012 and has an allowance victory at Oaklawn to start 2014.

“I don’t think she has a preferred surface; she has won on all of them,” Von Hemel said.

Gold Medal Dancer closed her 2013 campaign with runner-up finishes in the Remington Park Oaks and Zia Park Oaks before returning to the races March 20.

“With the winter we had at Oaklawn Park, we did not get as much done as we had hoped,” Von Hemel said. “We looked at races there and some races back this way and this race fit in nicely.”

A homebred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, Gold Medal Dancer has compiled a record of 9-4-3-0 with her only off-the-board finishes coming in graded stakes.

“In the Eight Belles (G3) which was her third career start, we probably asked her to do too much too soon,” Von Hemel said. “She only got beat about five lengths, was surrounded by horses the whole way and never really got going.

“In the Iowa Oaks (G3), she was in against Fiftyshadesofhay, but I thought she would be there with the rest of them. I was disappointed. It was not her best day and she got a break after that.”