By Ben Massam
Amerman Racing Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy) stamped himself as an exceptional talent with a decisive triumph in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita last November, and the homebred returns to action Friday as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the the GIII Transylvania S., Keeneland's opening-day feature and the first of 16 stakes worth $4.35 million offered during the 15-day spring meet. The bay demonstrated his versatility at the World Championships, winning over firm turf five weeks after capturing the GIII Pilgrim S. over yielding ground at Belmont, and has been working on a weekly basis at Palm Meadows since February.
“This race was the plan,” trainer Brian Lynch told the Keeneland notes team Tuesday. “He got 60 days off after the Breeders' Cup. He's got a long season ahead…It is a solid field and a good group of trainers that know how to get a horse ready. My horse is doing great and I can't make any excuses for him.”
The sheer dominance of Oscar Performance's three wins as a juvenile, which came by a combined total of 17 1/2 lengths, can largely be attributed to his early-to-the-lead style–a trait that should play to his favor Friday. Woodford Racing's improving 'TDN Rising Star' Ticonderoga (Tapit) resides at the opposite end of the pace spectrum as a proven late-runner. The $850,000 Keeneland September yearling closed belatedly to finish fourth from the burdensome post 14 in the Breeders' Cup and recently rallied from well back to annex the GIII Palm Beach S. at Gulfstream Mar. 4.
Lothenbach Stables' Sonic Boom (More Than Ready) enters off a pace-pressing score in the one-mile Columbia S. at Tampa Bay Mar. 11 and looms as one of the few entrants with an ability to keep Oscar Performance honest early. Profiteer (War Front) and Holiday Stone (Harlan's Holiday), a narrowly beaten second and third, respectively, in the Columbia, get their rematch with the Ian Wilkes-trained winner in Lexington. Holiday Stone has endured a pair of wide trips in his last two starts, and draws the outermost post in his third consecutive race Friday.
Last October's Zuma Beach S. hero and Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf fifth Big Score (Mr. Big) ships in from Southern California for trainer Tim Yakteen, while Head of Plains Partners and Cheyenne Stables' stakes winner Cowboy Culture (Quality Road) looks to rebound from a disappointing seventh-place effort in the Palm Beach–his first career defeat in four tries.
With rain in the forecast in Lexington Thursday, there is a possibility that the race will be run over less-than-firm ground. Keeneland carded a total of two turf races on their opening day card.
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