Danse Macabre, Freedom Speaks, Adventuring take Kentucky Downs stakes

A trio of rich stakes, all for females – the Untapable for 2-year-old fillies, the Music City for 3-year-old fillies, and the Ladies Marathon for fillies and mares – were the highlights of a Tuesday makeup card at turf-only Kentucky Downs in south-central Kentucky.

The three stakes were run consecutively as races 6 to 8 on a nine-race program contested over a course rated firm. All races were carried over, without being redrawn, from Sunday, when only two of 11 races were run before heavy rain washed out the remainder, forcing a postponement. Favorites went winless in the three co-features.

Just one more date remains at the seven-day Kentucky Downs meet, with three stakes being part of a 12-race Wednesday finale that starts at 12:25 p.m. Central. Churchill Downs begins its 14-day dirt-only meet Thursday with an eight-race twilight card.

Danse Macabre in Untapable

Danse Macabre got a terrific ride from Adam Beschizza and narrowly held off favored Alluring Angel in capturing the $450,500 Untapable.

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Following a very smooth stalking trip, Danse Macabre took over for Numero Seis after turning for home, then was hard ridden to prevail by a nose over Alluring Angel. The winner returned $5.60 as second choice after finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.62.

Danse Macabre is trained by Kelsey Danner for NBS Stable and Elements Racing LLC. The chestnut daughter of Army Mule was coming off a runner-up finish in the Aug. 21 Bolton Landing at Saratoga after winning a July 13 maiden race on the Colonial Downs turf.

“She’s pretty uncomplicated,” said Beschizza. “Kelsey has done a good job with her.”

“The distance was a little bit of an unknown,” said Danner. “Luckily she dug in deep at the end and pushed on.”

Alluring Angel, the 11-10 favorite, was away a bit sluggishly under Irad Ortiz Jr., perhaps leaving her with just a bit too much to do in an overall strong effort. “I didn’t break that well and I think that cost me maybe a little position,” said Ortiz.

Numero Seis faded to finish another three lengths back in third. Only six fillies started after Half a Chance and Bling were early scratches.

Freedom Speaks in Music City

Freedom Speaks ($12.56) raced just a few lengths off the pace before surging in the final furlong to reel in a stubborn Happy Soul to win the $482,500 Music City by a head, getting the 6 1/2-furlong distance in 1:15.35.

Jose Lezcano was aboard Freedom Speaks for Carol Reitman and trainer Jeremiah Englehart. The American Freedom filly was coming off an Aug. 19 allowance victory on the Saratoga turf and now has won three of four career starts.

“When I asked her, the other filly kept going, but [Freedom Speaks] kept finding, finding, finding,” said Lezcano. “She was not going to get beat.”

Happy Soul, a 15-1 shot, made all the running under Ortiz before giving way grudgingly, with Oeuvre up late to be third, another 2 1/4 lengths back in a full field of 12 fillies. Poppy Flower, the 2-1 favorite, was well back before rallying mildly to be fifth.

Adventuring in Ladies Marathon

Adventuring, a 4-year-old Godolphin homebred, assumed command shortly after the start of the Grade 3, $550,000 Ladies Marathon before turning back odds-on Family Way, returning $7.80 as second choice in a field of nine. She finished the once-around distance of 1 5/16 miles in 2:08.28.

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Ridden by Joel Rosario, Adventuring relaxed nicely on an open lead for much of the trip, allowing her to turn back a mid-stretch bid from Family Way, the 2021 Ladies Marathon winner sent postward as the 4-5 favorite. The victory was the second in as many starts at Kentucky Downs for the Pioneerof the Nile filly, who last year was a 1 3/4-length winner of the Dueling Grounds Oaks.

Family Way, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, withstood a late inside run from Luck Money to narrowly hold second, 1 1/2 lengths behind Adventuring.

Brad Cox is the trainer of Adventuring, who was defeated in two races last fall after winning the Dueling Grounds Oaks, then returned from a layoff of nearly eight months in winning the Aug. 6 West Virginia President’s Cup in her only prior start in 2022.

“Obviously she likes the Kentucky Downs course,” said Cox. “We’ll see what suits her best before we decide on her next start, but clearly she has come back to herself since we gave her some down time.”