By Alan Carasso
Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), purchased by John Stewart's Resolute Racing for €1.6 million out of last year's Arqana December Sale, was made the lukewarm 3-1 favorite to give trainer Chad Brown a fourth consecutive victory and seventh in the last eight years in Saturday's GI Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland. But Rabbah Blooodstock's homebred Choisya (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire})–already accustomed to playing the role of spoiler this season–had her own designs and won a sprint to the wire, surviving an objection from the favorite's jockey Flavien Prat in the process.
Given her last-out victory over 2024 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf runner-up Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) in the G2 Balanchine Stakes in the latter's seasonal debut at Meydan Feb. 21, a starting price of a shade north of 34-5 would have felt fairly generous, and her chances were done no harm when she secured the box seat from third as the fleet Kehoe Beach (Omaha Beach) led through decent fractions of :22.98 and :46.95 as GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf upsetter and 'TDN Rising Star' Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) did the chasing.
Hugging the fence into the the final three furlongs, Choisya was niggled along at the midpoint of the turn, with Luis Saez riding for luck, and she got a dream run through when Kehoe Beach rolled away from the inside in upper stretch. Taking over on her incorrect lead at the three-sixteenths, Choisya set sail for the wire, but with Prat looking determined to take a gap between Choisya and a staying-on Kehoe Beach, the Rabbah runner came out two or three paths to her right, causing Excellent Truth to steady. Prat steered the chalk back down towards the inside and was gaining inches, but the wire came first. After a reasonably lengthy discussion, stewards–who did not post an inquiry–allowed the result to stand.
The victory was the ideal tonic for Saez, who was shaken up, but not seriously injured in a spill on Tuesday's Blue Grass undercard. After two days on the sidelines, he returned to work on Friday ahead of Saturday's big win.
“I just tried to forget what happened,” he said. “I'm so glad that I'm here and I'm safe and I'm doing what I love. I feel pretty good, I feel strong and I'm enjoying what I'm doing.”
As for the jockey's objection, there were unsurprisingly two schools of thought.
“I knew when I got to the top of the stretch I came out a little bit, but I don't think I bothered the other horse. I stayed in my lane,” Saez said. “She ran a big race and I'm so proud (trainer Simon Crisford and owner Rabbah Bloodstock) gave me the opportunity with this filly to win this Grade I.”
Prat didn't exactly see things the same way.
“I was behind the winner and we turned for home and he stayed on the fence, so then I decided to come around him,” said the Frenchman. “I had a good gap and as I came in between horses, the gap closed and I had to check, and she came back again.”
Winner of the Listed Dick Hern Stakes at Haydock last August, Choisya was unplaced at Group 3 level at Sandown three weeks later and at Doncaster in mid-September. Sent to the desert for the winter, the chestnut ran out a five-length winner of the G2 Cape Verdi Stakes Jan. 17, besting Godolphin's heavily favored Romantic Style (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), who franked the form in listed company two weeks later. Cinderella's Dream had every conceivable chance in the Balanchine, but Choisya looped her rivals under a cerebral ride from Mickael Barzalona and outsprinted her more-accomplished foe to the line.
Pedigree Notes:
A sixth elite-level winner for Night of Thunder, Choisya is one of six winners from nine to race out of a full-sister to the Group 3-placed Jathabah (Ire). The black-type in Choisya's third dam is led by Hibaayeb (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), winner of the G1 Fillies' Mile at two and the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot as a 3-year-old before adding the GI Yellow Ribbon Stakes later that season for Godolphin and Saeed bin Suroor. Fragrancy is also the dam of an unraced 3-year-old filly by Earthlight (Ire) and a yearling filly by the same stallion.
Saturday, Keeneland
JENNY WILEY S.-GI, $521,657, Keeneland, 4-12, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.01, gd.
1–CHOISYA (GB), 123, m, 5, by Night of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Fragrancy (Ire) (SP-Eng, $144,080), by Singspiel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Zibet (GB), by Kris (GB)
3rd Dam: Zonda (GB), by Fabulous Dancer
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Rabbah Bloodstock LLC; B-Rabbah
Bloodstock Limited (GB); T-Simon Crisford; J-Luis Saez.
$298,375. Lifetime Record: MGSW-UAE & SW-Eng, 20-8-5-0,
$709,462. *1/2 to Base Note (GB) (Shamardal), MSP-Eng,
SP-UAE, $194,824; Pelerin (Ire) (Shamardal), SW-Ire, SW &
GSP-Eng, GSP-Ity, $152,593. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple
Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Excellent Truth (Ire), 123, m, 5, by Cotai Glory (GB)
1st Dam: Moment of Truth (Ire), by Teofilo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Goldthroat (Ire), by Zafonic
3rd Dam: Winger (GB), by In the Wings (GB)
(€52,000 Ylg '21 GOFOR; €1,600,000 4yo '24 ARQDEC).
O-Resolute Racing; B-Sandra Russell (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown.
$96,250.
3–Kehoe Beach, 123, f, 4, by Omaha Beach
1st Dam: Sweet Awakening, by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Cold Awakening, by Dehere
3rd Dam: Chilly Chick, by Raise a Native
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($180,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg
'22 KEESEP). O-Thomas W. Bachman; B-John Bates, Ron Kirk &
Michael Riordan (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $62,563.
Margins: HF, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 6.83, 3.00, 4.44.
Also Ran: Sacred Wish, Poolside With Slim (Ire), Jabaara (Ire), No Show Sammy Jo (GB), Be Your Best (Ire). Scratched: Vina Arana (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Choisya gets a beautiful trip in the G1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland at 6/1 under @luissaezpty for trainer Simon Crisford! 🍀🏆
🎥 TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/UHFa9LBDXY
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) April 12, 2025
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