Danner trying to make Rachel Alexandra sister a stakes winner
Kelsey Danner would like nothing more than win a stakes this year with a 4-year-old named Gladys – not that the filly isn’t already extremely valuable.
Gladys was sired by Medaglia d’Oro and produced by Lotta Kim, making her a full sister to the great Rachel Alexandra. She posted her third victory from 12 career starts in a second-level allowance going 1 1/16 miles on the Churchill turf May 19, and now Danner is looking for a spot for black type. Gladys was nominated to the Keertana here this weekend, but the race came back too quick.
“We’re looking at a race next month at Parx,” said Danner, referring to the June 14 Neshaminy, part of the Mid-Atlantic Championship (MATCH) series.
Dede McGehee owns and bred Gladys in the name of her Heavens Tree Farm in Lexington. The fact McGehee entrusted Gladys to Danner underscores just how far the 36-year-old trainer has come since she left her longtime position as an assistant to Wayne Catalano in the summer of 2017. Danner, with 105 career wins, currently has her stable split between Keeneland and the Palm Meadows training center in Florida.
“I feel very lucky to be in this position,” she said.
R Calli Kim staying put
R Calli Kim, a wire-to-wire winner of an off-the-turf allowance going 1 1/4 miles Thursday evening at Churchill, is now in the Brendan Walsh barn, according to owner Richie Averill. The 5-year-old mare won the first-level race in the name of trainer Gerald Bennett when earning $73,420 from an overall purse of $113,415, including a substantial Kentucky-bred bonus.
:: Want to start playing with a $510 bankroll and have access to free Formulator? Learn more
“With the purses the way they are, we’ve got to keep running her here,” said Averill, who more typically races in his home state of Florida and in the mid-Atlantic.
R Calli Kim, by Revolutionary, was making just her second start on dirt following six prior tries on turf.
* Sconsin will make her eagerly awaited 5-year-old debut as a heavy favorite in a field of six fillies and mares in the Grade 3 Winning Colors, which anchors a nine-race Memorial Day program that starts at 12:45 p.m. Sconsin, trained by Greg Foley, has won two graded stakes, including the Winning Colors last year.
From the rail, the Winning Colors field is Joyful Cadence, Novel Squall, Sconsin, Lil Tootsie, Tipsy Gal, Euphoric.