Breaker of Chains could wake up with turnback

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three allowances will be co-featured on the final Sunday of the spring meet at Keeneland, where ontrack fans will have to bundle up in the face of an unseasonable chill.

Highs in the mid-50s are the best the crowd can hope for; the overnight low into Monday is expected to be near freezing. Fortunately, the high quality of racing will go unaffected, with those allowances anchoring a nine-race card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern.

After Sunday, Keeneland goes dark before the final three-day stretch of the 15-day spring meet resumes with an eight-race Wednesday card. Closing day is Friday, with Churchill Downs starting its spring meet Saturday night.

Here’s a quick look at the Sunday highlights:

Race 5

This is the easily the deepest of the allowance trio, with an oversubscribed field of fillies and mares going a mile on the turf for a base purse of $110,000 (all listed purses include substantial bonuses restricted to Kentucky-breds).

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Breaker of Chains might have been considered the horse to beat if not for her disappointing last-out effort at Gulfstream Park, where she was never a factor going 1 3/8 miles. The 5-year-old mare still has yet to duplicate an eye-opening maiden victory from September 2021 at Kentucky Downs, but a turnback to this shorter distance might make her a player in what’s clearly a well-matched group. John Velazquez rides for trainer George Weaver.

Tequilera, making her first start in more than four months, is one of the logical challengers, along with Lakota Spirit and the comebacking Pioneer’s Edge. Only as many as 12 can start.

Race 7

Limited Liability knocked out his first allowance condition prevailing over the Keeneland turf last April, after which Shug McGaughey ran him in four straight stakes with mixed results. Rested and regrouped since being put away for the winter, the Stuart Janney homebred returns with a series of solid works under his belt and with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle. With those higher-end races and consistent mid-80 Beyer Speed Figures on his form, the gray Kitten’s Joy colt figures as a solid favorite in this $120,000, second-level race going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

Ready for the Lady, winner of the Singspiel at Woodbine last fall for Roger Attfield, is among his more capable opponents, along with Buy Me Candy and Alex Joon.

Race 8

Only five 3-year-olds are entered in this $110,000, first-level allowance going seven furlongs on the main track, with a pair of last-out maiden winners with 80s-range Beyers likely to vie for favoritism.

King’s Glory (post 2, Joel Rosario) got an 82 Beyer in freeing himself of the maiden ranks, leading all the way on the March 25 Louisiana Derby undercard at Fair Grounds, while Scotland (post 5, Ortiz) succeeded at first asking for Bill Mott when rallying for a narrow score on the March 4 Fountain of Youth card at Gulfstream. They’re the principals in a small cast that has Tumbarumba and B Minor on the fringes.

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