Keen Ice goes out for slow breeze

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With the handicap division undergoing wholesale changes following the retirement of Honor Code, Liam’s Map, and Tonalist at the end of the season, there is plenty of room for horses like Keen Ice to position themselves near the top of the list in 2016.

Trainer Dale Romans sent out Travers Stakes winner Keen Ice for his first local breeze on Wednesday, working him an easy half-mile from the three-eighths pole in 49.11 seconds with Tammy Fox aboard. Romans is pointing Keen Ice for the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 6 as a prep for the Dubai World Cup in March.

“I wasn’t really going to breeze him yet, but he has been feeling so good, I had to do something to take the edge off,” Romans said. “He just went around there nice and easy. This is a horse who actually benefits from and thrives on work.”

Keen Ice made nine starts at 3, his shining moment coming at Saratoga on Aug. 29, when he upset American Pharoah in the Travers. Keen Ice also finished second in the Grade 1 Haskell, third in the Belmont, and, most recently, fourth, beaten a length by Effinex, in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap. He ended the year with earnings of more than $1.7 million for Jerry Crawford’s Donegal Racing.

“I was happy with his last race,” Romans said of the Clark. “He just lost a little focus at the three-eighths pole and got going a little late.”

Romans called Keen Ice’s Travers victory the highlight of his training career.

“I’ve won a lot of great races – the World Cup, three Breeders’ Cups, and a lot of prestigious Grade 1’s,” said Romans. “But the historical value of the Travers combined with the fact we beat the Triple Crown winner separates it from the others. It will take a Kentucky Derby to top it.”

Romans was busy on Wednesday, working more than a dozen horses overall, a group that included Birdatthewire, the winner of the Grade 2 Forward Gal and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks here this year. Birdatthewire, who has made just three starts and is winless since the Gulfstream Oaks, went an easy half-mile in 48.74 seconds before galloping out with terrific energy around the turn and down the backstretch under jockey Corey Lanerie.

“She loves this racetrack,” said Romans. “Corey said he had trouble pulling her up this morning.”

Romans said if he can work out the travel arrangements, Birdatthewire will close out her 3-year-old campaign in the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

“She came out of the [Kentucky] Oaks a little banged up, and it took her a while to get her feet back under her, but she’s doing great right now,” said Romans.

Romans also has several top 2-year-old prospects he hopes will put themselves in the Triple Crown picture this winter, a list topped by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile third-place finisher Brody’s Cause, along with Unbridled Outlaw, Cherry Wine, and Perfect Saint.

“We’re going to pick weekends, not races, for Brody’s Cause once we make the decision whether we want to run him two or three times trying to get to the Derby,” said Romans. “The Holy Bull will likely be his first start at 3, although he is a closing route horse whose running style doesn’t always suit this track, so we’ll just have to wait and see how he’s breezing and the track is playing before making that choice.”

Cherry Wine and Perfect Saint also worked half-miles here Wednesday. Cherry Wine went in 48.86 and Perfect Saint in 50.55, both with Fox in the saddle.

Seven for Mr. Prospector

A field of seven that includes the last two winners of the event, Speechify and Singanothersong, was entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 3 Mr. Prospector. Favoritism in the six-furlong dash, however, likely will fall on either Stallwalkin’ Dude, the winner of the Claiming Crown Transit here on opening day, or Weekend Hideaway, the reigning champ in the Sunshine Millions Sprint.

The remainder of the field consists of X Y Jet and the Stanley Gold-trained duo of C. Zee and Grande Shores.

Speechify blew out three furlongs in 35.45 for the Mr. Prospector here Wednesday.

Destin tries to stay perfect

Destin, a one-length winner of his career debut this fall at Belmont Park, will be favored to remain unbeaten when he faces seven other 2-year-olds going a mile under first-level allowance conditions in Friday’s $41,000 feature.

Destin, trained by Todd Pletcher, will face a group that includes the stakes-placed pair of Brighton Lane and Sumpter, the promising Pilot House, and Golden Ray, who is the only multiple winner in the lineup.

◗ Only 13 fillies and mares were nominated for the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl on Dec. 26. Stonetastic, who has finished fourth and eighth in the last two runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, tops a group that also includes Dancing House, Dogwood Trail, and Flutterby.