Keeneland Saturday

Coolmore Turf Mile (Grade 1)

FINDING winners wasn’t easy in the US Grade 1s last weekend with some shocks and no luck for the majority of the European raiders.

Keeneland’s feature was the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile run on a firm track and it had a strong European challenge with two French 2025 Group 1 winners in Diego Velazquez and Woodshauna, as well as Andrew Balding’s Jonquil.

Diego Velazquez had raced prominently when winning the Prix Jacques le Marois for Aidan O’Brien, but Frankie Dettori took him back mid-field this time and he never really looked like winning.

Woodshauna, whose form was boosted by the win of Maranoa Charlie in the Foret at ParisLongchamp, was even more disappointing, slowly away and making little progress to finish last.

It was a fast pace, 46.07secs for the half mile, and Irad Ortiz found himself fourth on the winner Rhetorical as Quatrocento set quick fractions to 1m10.08secs for the six furlongs.

Ortiz then moved wide at the top of the stretch and cruised to the lead, holding the late charges of Program Trading and Brilliant Berti. It was another half-length back to Jonquil, who was followed by Diego Velazquez in fifth.

Rhetorical, a four-year-old gelded son of Not This Time, gave trainer Will Walden a first Grade 1 winner. The trainer is a son of former trainer and WinStar Farm president and racing manager Elliott Walden, and only began training in 2022.

“There was speed in the race, so we were looking to have a pocket trip and it ended up being beautiful, perfect,” Ortiz said.

Frankie Dettori said of Diego Velazquez: “I gave him a chance to gather himself. I asked him to stay close. I got him going after that around the turn, then he was struggling. He’s been running on straightaways, and it was too much for him. I mean, he ran okay, but he struggled with the track.”

Curtis for Kenneally

Ben Curtis came in for his first Grade 1 winner when the First Lady Stakes over a mile went to Simply In Front who beat the Juddmonte filly Segesta by a neck with Simon Crisford’s Choisya and Frankie Dettori a neck back in third.

Eddie Kenneally trained the daughter of Summer Front and he and Curtis go back some years.

“I came over for Eddie many moons ago. In the winter, there was no racing in Ireland, so I came over and worked for him. It’s great to come over here and get a big win like this because he put me on a lot of winners and really got me established,” Curtis said.

Curtis and Simply in Front were eighth of 11 as the field turned for home. Striking inside the furlong pole, the filly accelerated and caught Choisya in a blanket finish.

Money spinner

At the age of nine, the Dark Angel gelding Khaadem remains a great money spinner for Fitri Hay and Charlie Hills and brought his earnings to over £2 million with victory in the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes Presented By Fanduel over five and a half furlongs.

Frankie Dettori brought him with a run to come wide around the field in the straight and he got up to win snugly by a neck.

There was also a Keeneland winner for Newtown Anner Stud Farm in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club Of America Stakes over six furlongs, when the three-year-old filly Praying (Vekoma) followed up her Saratoga Grade 3 Prioress Stakes win and scored by half a length under John Velazquez for trainer Robert Medina.

Aqueduct

David Egan travelled to Aqueduct to ride Amo Racing’s favourite Hill Road in the 11-furlong Grade 2 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes for three-year-olds, but the Quality Road colt proved a bit disappointing although he had to be switched out to come with his run in the straight.

Victory went to the Peter Brant and St Elias Stable-owned colt Asbury Park, a son of Frankel trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Manny Franco with Hill Road’s run bringing him to a half length back in third.

Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (Grade 1)

Champagne Stakes (Grade 1`)

WHO is the best two-year-old in the US? The best looking is the grey-roan Into Mischief colt Ted Noffey and, racing in the Spendthrift Farm colours, he made it three from three in winning his second Grade 1 in Keeneland’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity over a mile and half a furlong.

He came home two and three-quarter lengths to the good over Blackout Time, staying on strongly over the mile and half a furlong for Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez.

Ted Noffey is named after a mixed up social media post meant to describe Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey.

The only dual Grade 1-winning two-year-old colt in the country, Ted Noffey is likely to be favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

His biggest rival could be the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner from Aqueduct.

There, Joel Rosario and the Liam’s Map colt Napoleon Solo came home six and a half lengths to the good over Talkin and Universe.

The colt, trained by Chad Summers and named by owner Al Gold after the spy from the old The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV series, ran his eight rivals off their feet in posting an impressive front-running victory under Joel Rosario. The much-fancied favourite It’s Our Time faded to fourth.

It was a hot time - 44.24 through a half-mile and the mile in a fast 1m34.57secs on just his second start, which the trainer fears might be too much to ask him to ship to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup.

On the west coast, Bob Baffert appeared to have things sewn up with four of the six horses in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita.

But it was Intrepido, trained by Jeff Mullins, who earned his way into the Juvenile by finding a run late and getting by the Baffert favourite Desert Gate and the rest of his runners.

Fillies

The fillies’ division is less clear. Iron Orchard, a daughter of Authentic, came from sixth to capture the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct by a nose from Rileytole.

Iron Orchard came into the Frizette off a pair of two easy wins and is unbeaten in three but trainer Danny Gargan may skip the Breeders’ Cup, saying afterwards: ”She’s done a lot this year. We’ll see how it goes. There’s next year.”

At Keeneland on the Friday, the favourite Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) ‘won’ the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes, but in truth she was a bit disappointing.

She did not look like overtaking Percy’s Bar, but that filly took her ground in the closing stages and was demoted to second behind the Spendthrift/Pletcher/Velazquez favourite.

In California, the fillies’ contest, the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes went to Bob Baffert’s Blame filly Explora who ran out an easy four and a quarter length winner under jockey Juan Hernandez as the odds-on favourite.

Wathnan grab a Woodbine Grade 1 success

Woodbine

Canadian International (Grade 1)

WOODBINE’S Canadian International Stakes with a purse of $760,000 for the mile and a half contest had three British-trained runners and it looked a good set up for Billy Loughnane on the Godolphin challenger Nations Pride.

But the Teofilo six-year-old proved a bit disappointing.

He finished third, beaten almost two lengths as Wathnan Racing landed its second North American Grade 1 winner with the lesser fancied of their two runners.

Silawi, who had won the Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor in August, went off at 10/1, joining Wathnan’s Singspiel Stakes winner Haunted Dream.

The five-year-old Dubawi gelding made most of the running and just held on by a nose.

“Silawi is a front-runner, so we take that advantage to go forward, and we make the pace from the beginning.

“I think he deserves to be here in the winning enclosure today,” trainer Hamad Al Jehani said.

Jockey Faleh Bughenaim stepped in for the Grade 1 win after Danny Tudhope had missed his flight.

Keeneland Sunday

Spinster Stakes (Grade 1)

THERE were signs this year that the 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna just might not be as good as she was last season and she bombed out for the second time this season when well-beaten in the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland.

Even those who thought that she faced a tough task against one of this season’s top three-year-old fillies in Nitrogen, also lost out as that filly could not get her head in front of the outsider Gin Gin up the straight and lost the bobbing finish by a head to the winner, trained by Brendan Walsh and ridden by Luis Saez.

Calumet Farm’s home-bred Gin Gin led the field of five and heading into the far turn, Nitrogen ranged up to move into second as Thorpedo Anna began to retreat. Gin Gin maintained her advantage into the stretch and had enough to just hold off Nitrogen. Thorpedo Anna was beaten almost nine lengths back in fourth.

Kenny McPeek had no excuses for Thorpedo Anna, saying afterwards: “She’s taken us on some incredible highs the last two years. Unfortunately, this is not a good day for her.

“These things don’t last forever. An old guy told me years ago ‘Win like you are used to it and lose like you like it’. It’s a humbling business. We are going to lose as gracefully as possible.”

Another winner to note on the card was in the Listed Indian Summer stakes where Mrs John Magnier, Mountmellick Farm, Brook Smith and Resolution Road Stables’ Schwarzenegger trained by Wesley Ward posted impressive fractions and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint is the target.