Keeneland

Just a nose short of getting her first graded win in the Mar. 6 GIII Florida Oaks, Jouster offered no anxious moments this time, rolling home a comfortable winner in Saturday's GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland. Signaling her readiness with a sharp four-furlong move in :48.46 at Palm Beach Downs Mar. 27, the 8-5 favorite went straight to the front as her partner, Luis Saez, lulled the field to sleep through initial splits of :24.82 and :49.87. With plenty in reserve kicking for home, the Starlight Racing runner built a...

Stuart Janney III's Scarlett Sky (Sky Mesa) looked to have it all to do in Friday's GIII Kentucky Utilities Transylvania S. at Keeneland, as he lingered in last of six behind a glacial pace. But, steered out widest into the stretch, he motored down the center of the course beneath Joel Rosario and was along late to post an ultimately cozy victory. Palazzi (Pioneerof the Nile) hit the lead inside the final sixteenth, only to be run over in the final strides, while GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Fire...

Making her first start on a conventional dirt surface after crossing the line best in two previous tries over the Turfway Tapeta, Three Chimneys Farm LLC's Twenty Carat (Into Mischief) attended a strong pace while four deep, came calling for the lead in upper stretch and powered home to prove a convincing winner of Friday's co-featured GIII Beaumont S. on opening day of the Keeneland spring meeting. Drawn widest in a field of seven, the homebred showed good gate speed and led the Beaumont field out of the chute before...

Plum Ali (First Samurai) makes the first start of her sophomore career Saturday in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland. A debut winner going two turns at Saratoga July 23, the chestnut rallied to another decisive victory in the Mint Juvenile Fillies S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 7 and captured the GII Miss Grillo S. at Belmont Oct. 4. She was last seen making up good ground to be fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. Nov. 6. Spanish Loveaffair (Karakontie {Jpn}) looks to rebound after being...

4th-Keeneland, $79,735, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 4-2, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.76, ft, 4 1/2 lengths. CARRIBEAN CAPER (f, 3, Speightstown--Checkupfromzneckup {SP, $187,470}, by Dixie Union) romped by eight lengths on debut at Fair Grounds Feb. 13--good for 'TDN Rising Star' honors--and showed a new dimension Friday to remain unbeaten. Off at 4-5, the dark bay broke a touch flat-footed and eventually settled in to draft behind Tiz Splendid News (Maclean's Music) from third. Carried very wide by the pacesetter entering the stretch, she pulled clear midway down the lane and...

Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) tops a competitive field of seven in Keeneland's GI Madison S. Saturday. Winning her first graded event at this oval in the 2019 GII Raven Run S., the bay captured the GIII Winning Colors S. at Churchill last May and checked in third behind Guarana (Ghostzapper) in last year's renewal of this event, which was held in July due to the pandemic. She rallied to a nose defeat of GI Kentucky Oaks victress Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in Churchill's GI Derby City Distaff S., also delayed from...

Blue-blooded 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) looks to follow in her dam and grand-dam's hoofprints by adding a Grade I to her perfect resume Saturday in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland. A debut winner going seven panels at Belmont Oct. 9, the $1.05-million KEESEP purchase romped by 7 3/4 lengths in the one-mile Tempted S. at Aqueduct Nov. 6. She proved distance was no issue when coming alive late with a determined rally to capture a sloppy renewal of the nine-panel GII Demoiselle S. at the Big...

3rd-Keeneland, $60,000, Msw, 4-2, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.01, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. AMERICAN BOUND (f, 2, American Freedom--Grace Abounds, by Stormy Atlantic) provided a further push for her first-crop sire (by Pulpit), becoming the Airdrie inmate's first winner Friday at Keeneland. The victory came just two days after another daughter of American Freedom sold for $550,000 at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream to go with three six-figure sellers at OBS March. Let go at 12-1 while breaking from the rail, American Bound broke on top and edged away around the turn with...

1st-Keeneland, $56,787, Msw, 4-2, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.15, ft, 3 1/2 lengths. BOHEMIAN FROST (f, 2, Frosted--Toast of Mayfair, by Speightstown) blasted out of the gate and never looked back to become the first winner at Keeneland's spring meet Friday afternoon. Having prepped for this with a :46 2/5 bullet from the gate here Mar. 21, the grey was pounded down to 9-5 into the face of a 4-5 Wesley Ward shot and soon proved why. With Ward's runner Dream Fly (American Pharoah) missing the break from the rail, Bohemian...

What a difference a year makes. Last March, when the coronavirus pandemic first descended upon America, the cancellation of sporting events left and right drove home, like few other signs did, how serious the situation was. In the racing world, there was arguably no greater loss of normalcy at that time than was felt when Keeneland was forced to scrap its iconic spring meet. And while races eventually returned to the central Kentucky oval, fans didn't for the entirety of 2020. Friday, the familiar sights of April in Lexington--the colorful...

'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit) looks to maintain a spotless record as he stretches out to nine furlongs for the first time while facing a field of nine in this Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. If this 3-5 morning line favorite were to score a win this weekend, he would, by most accounts, be considered a top choice heading into the GI Kentucky Derby as an undefeated dual Grade I winner. And yet, history would still be working against the Godolphin homebred come the first Saturday...

4th-KEE, $81K, OC 75k/N1X, 3yo, f, 7f, 2:45 p.m. ET CARRIBEAN CAPER (Speightstown) takes on winners for the first time following a 'TDN Rising Star' performance on debut on the  GII Risen Star S. undercard at Fair Grounds Feb. 13. The dark bay, a $250,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by Columbine Stable LLC, earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure in that eight-length victory. "She's very smart and does everything right," trainer Al Stall, Jr. said in a recent column in TDN. "First, we'll just get a little bit more of a...