Althiqa leads stacked field in First Lady at Keeneland

Races don’t get much deeper than the First Lady Stakes, one of three Grade 1s on the Saturday card at Keeneland. Thirteen older fillies and mares were entered in this $400,000 grass mile and five are Group 1 or Grade 1 winners.

No more than a dozen will start in the race, however, since the connections of sharp 4-year-old Princess Grace said Thursday that she will be scratched to await a start – either in the Goldikova or the Breeders’ Cup Mile – at Del Mar next month.

Heavy rain fell at Keeneland on Wednesday night and even accounting for decent drying weather the grass course could trend more toward “good” than firm.

That should be fine with likely favorite Althiqua, who already has raided America twice from England this year to pick off important Grade 1 turf races, the Just a Game over one mile at Belmont in June and the Diana over 1 1/8 miles in July at Saratoga. Both New York courses were rated “good” and in each start Althiqa outkicked her Charlie Appleby-trained stablemate Summer Romance, who isn’t a part of the First Lady field.

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Appleby, private trainer for Godolphin, has won six North American graded stakes already during 2021 and has freshened Althiqa since the July 17 Diana. Mike Smith found room on the inside with the filly in the Just a Game, but Manny Franco in the Diana had to swing wide to get Althiqa home. The filly has a new rider, Jamie Spencer, for the First Lady and she will try to maintain top form in a campaign that began Jan. 28 in Dubai.

A second overseas shipper, the Aidan O’Brien-trained 3-year-old Empress Josephine, can win at a considerably longer price than Althiqa. Empress Josephine is a Classic winner, having captured the Irish 1000 Guineas over her stablemate Joan of Arc, winner of the French Oaks this year. Racing over heavy ground, she failed to fire in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, and Empress Josephine also struggled mightily July 29 in the Group 1 Nassau at Goodwood, where the course turned sticky and tricky.

Empress Josephine was eased across the wire in the Nassau after her jockey realized she had no fight with a furlong and a half left to race. But Empress Josephine comes into the First Lady after hitting peak form again in the Group 1 Matron last month at Leopardstown. After losing ground around the race’s one left-handed turn, Empress Josephine finished willingly for a close fourth behind three Group 1 winners. Jockey John Velazquez’s mount has a good draw in post 2 and gets three pounds from her elders.

Chad Brown has trained the last three First Lady winners (Uni in 2020 and 2019, A Raving Beauty in 2018) and entered three horses here – Regal Glory, Blowout, and Viadera.

Viadera drew poorly on the far outside and has been somewhat disappointing this season, while Blowout is the likely pacesetter and Regal Glory rates the strongest chance among Brown’s trio. Blowout led and settled for second in the 2019 Valley View, her lone Keeneland start, and finished a solid fourth after setting the pace in this year’s Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga. The talented 5-year-old mare often is nailed late even when she turns in a top performance.

Five-year-old Regal Glory quietly has won eight of her 14 starts and ran well to finish fourth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths by Althiqa, after a very poor trip in the Just a Game. She flew home at Saratoga to win the restricted De La Rose in her most recent start, beating First Lady entry Hendy Woods, who won well last out at Kentucky Downs.

Discounting the race where she broke through the inner rail, Daddy Is a Legend has three wins from four Keeneland grass starts, but she lacked the needed late punch when fifth, just behind Blowout, in the Fourstardave. Harvey’s Lil Goil, an upset candidate, won the Grade Queen Elizabeth II over this course last fall before a close third in the Breeders’ Cup Fully and Mare turf. Her trainer, Bill Mott, hopes the course dries sufficiently for Saturday’s races.

“The Diana and the New York, those were the two main races on her dance card this year, and we ran into really soft courses I don’t think she handles very well,” Mott said.

Harvey’s Lil Goil cuts back in distance to try this mile – but even at her very best, it will take plenty of luck to beat this excellent field.