Keeneland: Ice Cream Silence wins Doubledogdare

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Taking command after an alert start, Ice Cream Silence led virtually throughout to win Friday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Doubledogdare by a neck over Sisterhood before a crowd of 11,897 at Keeneland.

The race was largely won in the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile race, with Ice Cream Silence under Rosie Napravnik slowing the pace with fractions of 24.43 seconds and 49.20 for the opening half-mile while under only mild pressure from Sisterhood.

Thereafter, the tempo of the race quickened, but with the leader enjoying an early breather, she had enough in reserve to turn back her challengers, first from Lotta Lovin, who surged from third on the turn to poke a head in front briefly, and then late from an even-paced Sisterhood.

Artemus Kitten, blocked on the inside for much of the race, rallied for third, edging favored Mystical Star for the show.

Lotta Lovin faded to fifth and was followed by Inglorious.

The winner, a 4-year-old daughter of Street Sense, won her first graded stakes race in the Doubledogdare, racing 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack in 1:44.66. She paid $19.80.

The race marked significant improvement upon her first start of the year, when she was seventh in the Inside Information at Gulfstream Park going seven furlongs Mar. 17.

“Nothing went right in Florida,” said Rusty Arnold, who trains Ice Cream Silence for owner-breeder G. Watts Humphrey Jr. “We didn’t get her there the right way. She had a disastrous kind of day.”

In contrast, things fell perfectly into place Friday.

Napravnik said she still felt confident in her mount even when taking pressure on the final turn. “I knew if we could save some, we would have plenty of punch for down the lane,” she said.