Keep Laughing caught Eaton’s Gift in midstretch and then held off Hatta Fort (GB) to score a narrow victory in the $110,300 Lafayette Stakes Sunday at Keeneland.
Making only the third start of his career, the son of Distorted Humor ran seven furlongs on the Polytrack in 1:22.26 and earned $68,386 for Brandon Perry’s Vision Racing, LLC.
Keep Laughing also gave trainer Kiaran McLaughlin his second straight stakes win of the three-day-old Keeneland spring meeting. The McLaughlin-trained Little Belle won Saturday’s $500,000, Grade 1 Ashland Stakes.
“We always liked him (Keep Laughing) and with his pedigree and his looks, he’s just an outstanding horse,” said Neal McLaughlin, brother of the trainer. “Keeneland’s really been a proving ground for a lot of three-year-olds. We wanted to bring ours here and just see how good they are. We’re finding out they’re pretty good.
Only a nose separated Keep Laughing with John Velazquez aboard and Hatta Fort (GB) with Garrett Gomez up. It was 2 ¾ lengths back to third-place Eaton’s Gift in the field of seven three-year-olds.
“Every time I asked him (Keep Laughing), he just gave it to me,” said Velazquez. “I was a little bit cautious with him coming down the stretch because I knew if he took the lead it would be a little too early; he’s going to start to wait for other horses.”
Kodiak Kowboy, the even-money favorite off five wins in eight previous starts, never seriously challenged and finished fourth under top weight of 123 pounds.
Keep Laughing, who was entered in Keeneland’s April Two-Year-Old In Training Sale last year but withdrawn, paid $12.40, $6.20 and $4.20. Hatta Fort (GB) returned $8 and $5.40 and Eaton’s Gift paid $3.40.