Kasaqui looks to get back in the win column

LEXINGTON, Ky. – When Kasaqui rolled to victory in the Grade 2 Wise Dan in June at Churchill Downs, his many fans had to believe big things were in store for the 7-year-old horse for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately, the next three races for Kasaqui were mostly disappointing – but there’s still time to build on an overall solid record. Prepping for the Grade 3 River City next month at Churchill, Kasaqui figures as the favorite Thursday at Keeneland in the first of back-to-back allowances that highlight a nine-race card.

Jimmy Graham will have a return call on Kasaqui when the gray Argentine-bred breaks from post 5 in the seventh race at 1 1/8 miles on turf. There are multiple conditions governing the $75,000 race, and the result is an interesting feature that drew a stakes-quality field of nine older horses.

Ignacio Correas is the trainer of Kasaqui, who made three trips from his Keeneland base to Arlington Park in recent months, finishing third as an 11-10 favorite in the Arlington Handicap in July; ninth at 7-1 in the Arlington Million in August; and second at odds-on in an ungraded stakes last month.

Kasaqui “has been training very well” in recent weeks, Correas said. “We are trying to use this race to get him ready for the River City” on Nov. 23 at Churchill.

Kasaqui, owned by the Wimborne Farm of Diane Perkins, has finished in the money in 17 of 29 career starts and earned $685,404. He will face some highly accomplished opponents in the form of Sir Dudley Digges, winner of the 2016 Queen’s Plate for Ken and Sarah Ramsey; Hay Dakota, winner of the 2016 Commonwealth Turf; Thatcher Street, winner of the 2016 River City; Applicator, winner of the rich Tourist Mile last month at Kentucky Downs; and Up With the Birds, a $1.8 million earner whose most recent victory came in the 2016 Nijinsky at Woodbine.

One race later, an oversubscribed field of 3- and 4-year-old fillies is entered in a $67,000, six-furlong race under a condition of “nonwinners of two lifetime” with a WinStar Farm homebred named Covenant being the one to beat. Trained by Bill Mott, Covenant will be turning back slightly after finishing fourth last month as the second choice in the Dogwood Stakes, a seven-furlong race in which the Speightstown filly made a flashy move into contention before fading late.

First post Thursday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. The 17-day meet closes Saturday, with live action on the Kentucky circuit moving Sunday to Churchill.