European imports add intrigue to Appalachian Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Inasmuch as early-season 3-year-old turf fillies are unknown quantities, then you have the imports to figure.

A pair of newbies from overseas gives the Appalachian Stakes even further intrigue, a welcome element of handicapping difficulty that will be resolved when the Grade 3, $100,000 Appalachian is run as the eighth of nine Thursday races at Keeneland.

Lacarolina and Sweet Acclaim, both getting first-time Lasix in their stateside debuts after promising starts to their careers in Europe, drew alongside each other in posts 3 and 4 in a good-looking field of 12 entered in the one-mile race.

Sweet Acclaim, an Irish-bred with Rosie Napravnik named, is one of two uncoupled fillies in the Appalachian for trainer Chad Brown, with Kitten Kaboodle (post 7, John Velazquez) the other.

Sweet Acclaim “acts like a nice filly,” Brown said. “The added distance is the real question with her, but she’s of graded-stakes quality.”

Lacarolina, a French-bred chestnut, “has been training well with some of our better horses, and I really don’t feel like she’ll need a race,” said trainer Mark Casse.

Lacarolina will be ridden by veteran Stewart Elliott, who through eight of 15 spring programs has enjoyed a terrific Keeneland debut meet by winning eight races, second only to Julien Leparoux (12).

“Stewart has breezed this filly a couple of times and really likes her,” said Casse, who entered the second half of the meet tied for leading trainer with Ken McPeek with five wins apiece.

Casse has a second filly in the Appalachian in Resistivity, who will have Leparoux aboard from post 9. Resistivity will be looking to bounce back from a dismal effort in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes on opening weekend.

Major considerations among those with races over American ground include Recepta (post 1, Joel Rosario), making her seasonal debut after ending 2013 with a romping win in an ungraded stakes over the Belmont Park turf; Kitten Kaboodle and Zinzay (post 2, Joe Rocco Jr.), the one-two finishers here last fall in the Grade 3 Jessamine Stakes; and Daring Dancer (post 5, Alan Garcia), unbeaten in two career starts.

The rest of the field is Babe’s Ruler, False Clock, Annulment, Maria Maria, and Paloma P.

The Appalachian, sponsored by the Japan Racing Association, dates to 1989, when To the Lighthouse prevailed under Randy Romero. Brown won it two years ago with the New York-bred standout Dayatthespa, and Rosario rode the winner last year, when Unbelievable Dream rallied from far back.

First post Thursday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the Appalachian going at 4:42.

◗ The second race Thursday drew a field of seven 2-year-olds. It was supposed to be the sixth of eight “baby races” at the meet, but it’s only the second, since all but an April 5 race failed to fill.

Only four trainers have horses in this race: Wesley Ward, John Hancock, and John Dyer have two runners each, while Casse, who won the April 5 race with a colt named Skyway, has one.

The Ward filly, Circle the World, is the probable favorite when facing five boys and one other filly, Zip It Kim.