Keeneland Barn Notes
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
UNDEFEATED SHE BE WILD FACES 11 RIVALS IN DARLEY ALCIBIADES
Nancy Mazzoni’s undefeated She Be Wild, winner of the Arlington-Washington Lassie (G3) in her most recent start, headlines a field of 12 2-year-old fillies entered Tuesday for the 58th running of the $500,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1) on Friday.
The Darley Alcibiades serves as the main attraction on Friday’s 10-race card that kicks off the 17-day fall meeting that runs through October 31.
The Darley Alcibiades, a “Win and You’re In” race for the $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on November 6 at Santa Anita, is one of nine stakes to be run over the three-day FallStars Weekend.
First post time Friday is 2:15 p.m. ET with the Darley Alcibiades going as the ninth race with a 6:15 p.m. post time.
Trained by Wayne Catalano, She Be Wild has won her three starts by a combined 18 ¼ lengths, all over the Polytrack surface at Arlington Park. Garrett Gomez has the call Friday and will break from post position three in the 1 1/16th mile race.
Other stakes winners in the field include Westrock Stables’ Decelerator, who took the June 27 Debutante (G3) at Churchill Downs, and Dell Ridge Farm’s Kid Kate, winner of the Junior Championship at Monmouth Park on August 29.
The field for the Darley Alcibiades, from the rail out, is as follows: Blackwell (Calvin Borel), Tidal Pool (Chris Emigh), She Be Wild (Garrett Gomez), Beautician (Kent Desormeaux), Negligee (Rajiv Maragh), Screen Legend (Jesus Castanon), Zilva (Jeremy Rose), Decelerator (Jamie Theriot), Amen Hallelujah (Miguel Mena), Kid Kate (Julien Leparoux), Quick Breeze (Corey Lanerie) and Sassy Image (Robby Albarado). All starters carry 118 pounds.
CAPT. CANDYMAN CAN HEADLINES FIELD OF 10 FOR FRIDAY’S PHOENIX
Joseph Rauch and David Zell’s Capt. Candyman Can will face older horses for the first time in his career when he tackles nine rivals in the 157th running of the $250,000 Phoenix (G3) at six furlongs on the main track Friday.
The Phoenix, a “Win and You’re In” race for the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) on November 7 at Santa Anita, will go as the eighth race on Friday’s 10-race card with a 5:45 p.m. ET post time. First post time on the opening day of the 17-day fall meeting is 2:15 p.m. ET.
Trained by Ian Wilkes, the 3-year-old Capt. Candyman Can comes into the Phoenix off a victory in the NetJets King’s Bishop (G1) on August 29 at Saratoga in which he was moved up to the top spot after the disqualification of Vineyard Haven. It marked the first Grade 1 victory for Wilkes.
Capt. Candyman Can also has won the Matt Winn on May 16 at Churchill Downs, the Bay Shore (G3) on April 4 at Aqueduct and the Hutcheson (G2) at Gulfstream Park on January 30 this year. Javier Castellano, who has been aboard Capt. Candyman Can in his past four starts, has the call Friday. Capt. Candyman Can will break from post position four and carry high weight of 122 pounds.
Also expected to draw enthusiasm at the mutuel windows are Bear Stables’ Fatal Bullet and B. Wayne Hughes’ My Pal Charlie.
Fatal Bullet, trained by Reade Baker, makes his third start of 2009 after closing 2008 with a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
My Pal Charlie, trained by Al Stall Jr., finished second in this spring’s Commonwealth (G2) here and closed out 2008 with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
Tom Durant’s Sing Baby Sing, trained by Jack Bruner, won the 2008 Phoenix and on Friday will attempt to become the first horse to win the Phoenix in consecutive years since Zuppardo’s Prince in 1980 and 1981.
The field for the Phoenix, from the rail out, is as follows: Greeley’s Conquest (Jamie Theriot, 118 pounds), Silver Edition (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), Ez Dreamer (Julien Leparoux, 118), Capt. Candyman Can (Javier Castellano, 122), Hamazing Destiny (Terry Thompson, 116), Past the Point (Garrett Gomez, 118), Fatal Bullet (Eurico Da Silva, 118), My Pal Charlie (Robby Albarado, 118), Formidable (Rajiv Maragh, 118) and Sing Baby Sing (Chris Landeros, 118).
McPEEK LIKES HIS CHANCES FOR FOURTH ALCIBIADES VICTORY
Trainer Ken McPeek usually plays a strong hand in Keeneland’s signature fall race for 2-year-old fillies. On Friday, in the 58th running of the $500,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1) at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, that trend figures to continue. McPeek, who has won the race three times including last year with Dream Empress, will send out Peter Callahan’s Beautician.
“I have also had two seconds and two thirds in the race and this is the most confident I have ever been coming into the race,” McPeek said of Beautician, who broke her maiden at first asking on June 5 at Churchill Downs and then finished second behind Hot Dixie Chick in the Schuylerville (G3) and Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga. “She has got a lot of talent and is very professional.
“I think she is better than all three of them that won this race. I know she is better than She’s a Devil Due (the 2000 winner) and I don’t know if Dream Empress could have gotten checks sprinting.”
McPeek’s other Alcibiades winner was Take Charge Lady in 2001, who, like Beautician, is a daughter of Dehere out of a Rubiano mare. McPeek purchased Take Charge Lady for $175,000 as a yearling and paid $110,000 for Beautician at the 2008 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Take Charge Lady never lost at Keeneland, going 5-for-5 and retiring with a record of 22-11-7-0 for earnings of $2,480,377. She broke her maiden here at first asking in the spring of 2001 and after her Alcibiades score won the Grade 1 Ashland and the Spinster twice to amass career Keeneland earnings of $1,306,286, a track record for an individual horse.
Beautician is scheduled to ship to Keeneland from Churchill Downs in the next couple of days for her racing debut over Polytrack, a surface she trained over this spring before her initial start.
FALLSTARS WEEKEND CONTENDERS DOT TUESDAY WORKTAB
A couple of top contenders for Saturday stakes put in half-mile works Tuesday morning over the main track at Keeneland.
Augustin Stable’s Informed Decision, winner of this spring’s Vinery Madison (G1) here, covered the four furlongs in :47.60 under Barry Wiseman for trainer Jonathan Sheppard. Undefeated at Keeneland in three starts, Informed Decision looms as the probable favorite for the 29th running of the $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) at six furlongs on the main track.
Team Block’s Fort Prado, winner of the 2007 Woodford (G3), covered the four furlongs in :47.40 for trainer Chris Block. Third in last year’s Woodford, Fort Prado enters this year’s renewal of the 5 ½-furlong turf sprint off a victory in the September 19 Kentucky Cup Turf Dash at Kentucky Downs.
WELL-TRAVELED BATTLE OF HASTINGS, SPEEDY CARLSBAD GIVE MULLINS POTENT 1-2 PUNCH
Jeff Mullins, annually one of the leading trainers in Southern California, never has recorded a stakes victory at Keeneland. That could change Saturday when he sends out Mike House’s Battle of Hastings (GB) in the 24th running of the $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) and Dennis Weir’s Carlsbad in the 29th running of the $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) at six furlongs on the main track.
The duo arrived from California on Monday and both had light exercise Tuesday morning on the main track under the supervision of Mullins assistant Ral Ayers. Tyler Baze, the regular rider for both horses, is scheduled to be aboard Saturday.
Battle of Hastings has made two trips to Kentucky this year. He finished second in the American Turf (G3) at Churchill Downs on May 1.
“He likes airplanes and travels well,” said Ayers, who accompanied Battle of Hastings on two trips this summer to Colonial Downs in Virginia.
Battle of Hastings came to the Mullins barn late last fall and finished seventh in his United States debut in the Generous (G3) at Hollywood Park.
“We ran him right off the plane after he was purchased and then freshened him up,” Ayers said. “He’s an overachiever. I don’t know of many 3-year-olds who can win from 6 ½ (furlongs) to a mile and quarter in one year.”
With rain in the forecast for the weekend, soft ground may await Battle of Hastings on Saturday.
“He’s the kind of horse that doesn’t have to take his track with him,” Ayers said of the gelding who won on a course listed as “good” at Colonial and as a 2-year-old won on “soft” ground in England. “Rain won’t hurt at all,” Ayers added.
The Shadwell Turf Mile is a “Win and You’re In” race for the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) to be run November 7 at Santa Anita.
“We were thinking of the Hawthorne Derby (a Grade 3 race on Saturday), but the owner lives just down the road here and Carlsbad was coming here anyway,” Ayers said. “Nothing is firm yet, maybe the Breeders’ Cup, but this will give us a chance to see how he does against older horses.”
Carlsbad, an Arizona homebred for Weir, came to the Mullins barn this spring after winning her first four career starts at Turf Paradise by a combined 50 ¾ lengths. Kevin Lewis trained Carlsbad at the Phoenix track.
“You never know about the quality of competition at Turf Paradise, but once we got her, it was pretty obvious that she was an impressive horse,” Ayers said. “There was really nothing that fit her in California and that was a big consideration in coming here.”
Undefeated at the TCA distance of six furlongs, Carlsbad has won three stakes in five starts under Mullins’ care: the Santa Paula (G3) at Santa Anita, the Hollywood Oaks (G2) at Hollywood Park and the Rancho Bernarado (G3) in her most recent start on September 4 at Del Mar.
The TCA serves as a “Win and You’re In” race for the $1 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) on November 6 at Santa Anita.
MOTT RETURNS SPRING WINNERS TO KEENELAND
During Keeneland's spring meeting, Bill Mott earned his fifth leading trainer title at the track with seven wins that included victories in the Maker's Mark Mile (G1), Central Bank Transylvania (G3) and Doubledogdare (G3). The Maker’s Mark Mile winner, Mr. Sidney, a $3.9 million 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is scheduled to return on Saturday in the $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1). With a victory, the 5-year-old son of Storm Cat, who races for Circle E Racing, would become the first horse to win both Grade 1 turf stakes in the same year.
“He's run well over the course,” said Mott, who won the Shadwell Turf Mile in 1998 with Favorite Trick and in 2001 with Hap. “We like the distance.”
After the Maker's Mark Mile, Mr. Sidney ran 11th in the Metropolitan (G1) on May 25 on Belmont's main track, then returned to turf and captured the one-mile Firecracker (G2) on July 4 at Churchill Downs. He is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Arlington Million (G1) at 1 ¼ miles on August 8.
On Tuesday morning, Mr. Sidney breezed four furlongs in :51.40 in company with Harrods Creek, and the two galloped out in 1:03 2/5. A 2-year-old Langfuhr colt who was third in the Budweiser Select Cradle Stakes at River Downs on September 7, the maiden Harrods Creek is a possibility for Sunday's Bourbon (G3), Mott said.
Sunday's card also includes the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) in which Mott could start both Courtlandt Farms’ Indescribable and Brushwood Stable's Mushka. Indescribable, a 5-year-old daughter of Pleasant Tap who won the Doubledogdare, is coming off a win in the Kentucky Cup Distaff (G3) on September 26 at Turfway Park.
At Keeneland in April, Mushka also accounted for a Mott victory when she captured a 1 1/8-mile allowance race on Polytrack. The 4-year-old daughter of Empire Maker then made her next four starts on turf and is coming off a win at Saratoga in the Glen Falls (G3) on September 7.
Entries for Saturday's races will be taken on Wednesday. Entries for Sunday's races will be taken on Thursday.