Keeneland Stuff

- I posted just yesterday about Byron King’s column in the Form (sub. only) about horses from Tampa Bay Downs doing well at Keeneland at nice prices and on all surfaces. And wouldn’t you know, horses who had raced at Tampa finished first and second today in the G3 Shakertown, a turf sprint. Atticus Kristy paid $19.20, and runner-up Around the Cape, at 6-1, completed the $126 exacta. They had run a close 3-4 in a similar stake there last month. Man of Illusion, an Australian import making his first U.S. start for Biancone, was 10-1 morning line but got bet to 5-1. He had a very troubled trip, off sluggishly, shut off when he tried to rush up inside, and absolutely buried in the stretch before getting clear and rallying for third.

Zito had two winners in the first five races, but then Pletcher upstaged him with three, including the 10th. His first time starter Hidden Fortune took the money at 9-5, and she romped by 14 in 1:16.64. She’s an Overbrook homebred filly by Gone West out of a Danzig mare, with a Phipps background; her third dam, Pure Profit, is the dam of Educated Risk and champion Inside Information, the dam of Smuggler.

The money also showed in the 8th, which looked like a wide open race from the look of the morning line, but turned into a two horse race, both in the win pool and on the track. Pletcher’s G City Gal ($6.40) (Elusive Quality) just edged out Gleaming Elegance for favoritism, and then held her off in the stretch as well.

Artie Schiller got beat in an amazing finish in the G2 Maker's Mark; it didn’t look like Miesque’s Approval had a chance to catch him, yet he just got up. It was (almost) like Personal Ensign-Winning Colors type stuff. Garrett Gomez, riding the 1-2 favorite said: "I don't know if he saw the other horse, he was so far out." I’m red-boarding here, but the winner looked good on paper, and it seems to me that he should have been a more decisive second choice; nice win price at $14, and a race worth seeking out to watch. I really gotta get myself down to Keeneland again some time soon; it's been a few years now since I went there. You could really sense the crowd's passion for the sport there (though it could have been the bourbon), and I can just about hear the roar of the nearly 24,000 people that were there today as they came down to the stretch. I'm sure there were a lot of Pick 4's and 6's depending on Artie Schiller, and that was one tough beat; he looked like he was home free.