By Steve Haskin,
Gary Barber and WinStar Farm’s Laugh Track, who has failed to duplicate his second-place finish in the 2013 Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) in two subsequent starts, returns to his favorite Polytack surface in the $175,000 Commonwealth Stakes (gr. III) at Keeneland April 12.
The son of Distorted Humor , bred by WinStar, has scored four victories from six starts on Polytrack, and has a win and a second in his two starts at Keeneland. His other synthetic appearances came at Woodbine.
Although he was a well-beaten fifth (placed fourth via disqualification) in the grade II Alysheba Stakes in his only start on dirt, trainer Mark Casse ran Laugh Track in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint off his second in the Stoll Kenon Phoenix Stakes (gr. III) at Keeneland. At Santa Anita Park Nov. 2, he came flying from 11th to be beaten a neck by Secret Circle at 16-1.
But his new dirt career took a hit when he finished up the track in both the Cigar Mile (gr. I) and this year’s Gulfstream Park Sprint (gr. III).
Laugh Track drew the rail in the Commonwealth and will be ridden for the first time by Jose Lezcano.
Of the remaining 11 starters, the English-bred Dimension looks to be the biggest threat, even though the son of Medicean hasn’t started since finishing fifth, beaten three lengths, in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT). A grade II stakes winner on the grass, his one start in North America on a synthetic surface resulted in a second-place finish, beaten a neck, in the 6 1/2-furlong Bold Venture Stakes at Woodbine.
In Europe, the Conor Murphy-trained 6-year-old gelding had one victory and a second in three starts on a synthetic surface.
The remainder of the field is pretty wide-open, with no one really having proved their class in top company, although the Wesley Ward-trained Undrafted did finish third in last year’s Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II), Swale Stakes (gr. III), and Gulfstream Park Derby on dirt. In his last appearance on a synthetic surface, he was 13th in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I).
Longhunter, owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike Maker, is coming off back-to-back easy scores in allowance company on the grass at Gulfstream Park. The former $16,000 claimer is a minor stakes winner and is nine for 25 lifetime.
Another from the Maker barn is Gunderson, owned by Kendall Hansen, who has won 3-of-4 on Polytrack and is a threat on the front end.
The most experienced runner on synthetic is the Ken McPeek-trained Occasional View, who has won four of his 15 starts on synthetic, with one second and three thirds, while placing in two stakes.
Eoin Harty sends out Carving,winner of the 2012 Real Quiet Stakes and fourth in the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III), who hasn’t run since June of last year.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84301/laugh-track-set-to--scream-in-commonwealth#ixzz2yUeEoo3D
By Esther Marr,
G. Watts Humphrey's 5-year-old mare Centre Court will attempt become only the second repeat winner of the Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland when she takes on nine rivals in the 1 1/16-mile turf race April 12.
The only dual Jenny Wiley victor was Intercontinental, who captured the race in 2004-05. The $300,000 contest is the second of three grade I stakes on Saturday's 12-race program that begins at 12:35 p.m. ET. The Jenny Wiley will go as the 10th race with a 5:13 post time.
Centre Court, a daughter of Smart Strike —Let, by A.P. Indy, enters the Jenny Wiley with a total of six graded stakes victories to her credit and seven wins overall from 15 starts with earnings of $909,845. The dark bay or brown mare posted three uncharacteristic off-the-board efforts last year, however, after which trainer Rusty Arnold decided to investigate whether she suffered from a physical issue.
"She went wrong at the end of last year...she was sore and I couldn't find it, so we sent her to Dr. Bramlage and he diagnosed her with a strained muscle in her glutes," said Arnold. "It wasn't torn; we just had to give her some time off and she's come back very well."
After being turned out at a farm for four months, Centre Court resumed light training, and then successfully defended her title in the Honey Fox Stakes (gr. IIT) at Gulfstream Park over fellow Jenny Wiley foe Kitten's Point. It was Centre Court's first start since finishing eighth in the Ballston Spa (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course last August.
Bred in Kentucky by Humphrey and his mother's Louise Ireland Humphrey Revocable Trust, Centre Court has notched additional victories in the 2012 Mrs. Revere Stakes (gr. IIT), Lake George Stakes (gr. IIT), and Regret Stakes (gr. IIIT). She also ran second in that year's Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland.
"She's done excellent since she's been back," said Arnold. "She trained good in Florida and ran very well (in the Honey Fox) for a horse that hadn't been out in seven months. She came out of it well, and she's done well here (at Keeneland)."
While Arnold feels good about Centre Court's chances in the Jenny Wiley, he acknowledged the fact the race boasts a talented cast of powerhouse females.
"It's a tough group," he said. "Stephanie's Kitten is always tough—they all are. It's a good, solid bunch. We'll see if we've got her back good enough."
Julien Leparoux, who has been aboard for the majority of Centre Court's starts, has the mount again on the mare, who will break from post position 10.
Ken and Sarah Ramsey's 5-year-old homebred mare Stephanie's Kitten won the 2011 Darley Alcibiades (gr. I) at the Jenny Wiley distance at Keeneland, as well as that year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IIT). She got her first grade I victory on grass in last year's Longines Just A Game Stakes at Belmont Park.
Trained by Chad Brown, Stephanie's Kitten will break from post position 2 and be ridden by John Velazquez. The daughter of Kitten's Joy —Unfold the Rose, by Catienus was bred in Kentucky.
Another threat in the Jenny Wiley is last year's Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT) winner, Discreet Marq. The 4-year-old daughter of Discreet Cat has not raced since finishing second by a nose in the Matriarch Stakes (gr. IT) at Betfair Hollywood Park in December.
Trained by Christophe Clement for Patricia Generazio, she will break from post 8 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
Rounding out the field are other grade/group stakes winners Kitten's Point, Emotional Kitten, Abaco, Class Included, Hard Not to Like, Fitful Skies, and Cloud Scapes. The latter filly became Smart Strike's 100th stakes winner when she captured the March 8 Hillsborough Stakes (gr. IIIT).
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84299/centre-court-to-defend-jenny-wiley-title#ixzz2yUfPp69P
By Claire Novak,
The $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) drew an overflow field for its 90th renewal to be run April 12 at Keeneland, all entrants hoping to earn a place in the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
The Blue Grass will be broadcast live on "The Jockey Club Tour on Fox" from 4:30-6 p.m. (ET). The Blue Grass is worth 170 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby, with 100 points to the winner.
Bobby's Kitten, the third Derby hopeful for Ken and Sarah Ramsey this year, is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line set by oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. Ramsey also has Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner Vicar's in Trouble and Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Racing Spiral Stakes (gr. III) winner We Miss Artie already on the Derby leaderboard.
"We've got a dirt horse, a synthetic horse, and a turf horse," Ramsey said. "So hopefully whatever conditions develop at Churchill Downs on Derby day, one of them will like it and win."
Bobby's Kitten, a 3-year-old son of Kitten's Joy comes off a one-mile turf allowance win going wire-to-wire March 8 at Tampa Bay Downs. It was the colt's first start for trainer Chad Brown since a third-place finish in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park. The 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass will be his Polytrack debut after making all five of his previous starts on grass. Javier Castellano gets the mount from post 5.
"I'd like him to settle down and try to be behind a couple horses; we can't win the Kentucky Derby on the front end, so he needs to get some dirt kicked in his face," Ramsey said. "Hopefully we'll run first or second so we get enough points to get in the Derby."
Trainer Dale Romans goes old school with Spendthrift Farm's recent Transylvania Stakes (gr. III) winner Medal Count, who aced an off-the-turf edition of that 1 1/16-mile test April 4 with a brilliant rail-skimming move under Robby Albarado. That rider returns from the 13 hole aboard the son of Dynaformer, the 9-2 second choice on the morning line.
"He ran well, he had an easy trip, he really only ran the last quarter of a mile," Romans said of Medal Count's effort in the Transylvania. "He was really impressive and I've been a big fan of this horse since the beginning. He's always had the natural ability, but mentally he needed to put it together. He started coming around in Florida and the race we saw the other day was what we've been waiting for. I think he'll run all day.
"This is such an important race, we just don't want to pass it up. He's had a lot of good energy; he bounced out of the race like he never ran. I would have put a pretty stiff work in him on Saturday anyway, so I don't think the turnaround is that big a deal and it actually may be beneficial to have had that race under his belt."
California shipper Dance With Fate drew post 8 and is 12-1 on the morning line. The son of Two Step Salsa was second to Tamarando in the Feb. 15 El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) last time out and earlier in his career finished second in both the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) and the FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I).
"I think a lot of good, good horses are coming out of California," said Peter Eurton, who trains Dance With Fate for a partnership that includes Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stable, and Ciaglia Racing. "For him, the Blue Grass has always been part of the plan because he's run so well on synthetic."
John Oxley's Coastline broke his maiden at Keeneland going seven furlongs on the Polytrack last October, and returned to a Polytrack surface for the first time since then with a tough-beat third in the Spiral at Turfway Park behind fellow Blue Grass contender Harry's Holiday. Earlier this year he ran third in the Smarty Jones Stakes and fourth in the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.
"That 's one of the reasons we're here," trainer Mark Casse said of the Speightstown colt's preference for the synthetic track. "I thought he struggled a lot out in Hot Springs and that's why I ran him in the Spiral. I thought his Spiral race was good, and in the last couple weeks I think he's gotten better and better."
Stewart Elliott gets the mount from post 11; Coastline is 8-1 on the morning line.
"He's one for one at this racetrack and hopefully we'll make it two for two," Casse said.
Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) winner Vinceremos will make his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher since his second by three lengths to upsetter Ring Weekend in the March 8 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II). The son of Pioneerof the Nile who runs for WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing tries a synthetic track for the first time from post 12 under Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado.
"We bought the horse after training here at Keeneland, and he's trained at WinStar on synthetic and always handled it very well," said Twin Creeks' Randy Gullatt. "It's always a gamble running a horse on a track he hasn't run on yet, but I think he'll be fine. The horse always breaks well and puts himself in the race really well, so I don't think that's going to be an issue."
Also in the field are Asserting Bear and Big Bazinga, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Spiral last out; Delta Jackpot (gr. III) and Hopeful Stakes (gr. II) runner-up Casiguapo; Tampa Bay Derby ninth-place finisher Coltimus Prime; and Laurel Park stakes winner Extrasexyhippzster, eighth in the March 1 Gotham Stakes (gr. III) in his most recent start.
Rounding out the group are Palm Beach Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner Gala Award; allowance winner Pablo Del Monte coming off a third in the Feb. 1 Hutcheson Stakes (gr. III); minor stakes winner So Lonesome, who was ninth in the Palm Beach last time out, and also-eligible Divine Oath.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84290/bobbys-kitten-favored-in-blue-grass-stakes#ixzz2yUfvaWRy
