Keeneland: Large, deep field will line up in Lafayette Stakes
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sprint races worth $400,000 for spring 3-year-olds don’t grow on trees, which is why there are a dozen horses entered in the seven-furlong Lafayette Stakes on Friday at Keeneland.
In some order, Money Supply, My Prankster, and Tejano Twist look like the top betting choices, though there are longer prices that could hold appeal.
My Prankster burst onto the scene last summer at Saratoga, where he won his career debut by 10 lengths, but came back to Earth with a distant fourth in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park and has yet to run back to his debut figure. My Prankster last raced Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park, where he won a modest renewal of the seven-furlong Swale Stakes by a half-length.
Trainer Todd Pletcher said he’s pointed My Prankster to the Lafayette since February; a fever that caused five missed training days accounts for a gap in works between March 3 and March 24.
“He rebounded well and made up for it with his last couple works, the last one especially,” Pletcher said.
My Prankster has room to mature and grow but doesn’t feel like a later-developing colt set for a big forward move.
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“He’s been a very consistent horse,” Pletcher said. “He hasn’t made any huge transformations physically.”
Money Supply’s debut came much later than My Prankster’s but he, too, aced his first start. Bumped at the break of a Feb. 5 Tampa Bay maiden race, Money Supply wound up at the tail of a bulky field, wove between horses, dove to the inside in the homestretch, and won by two lengths with a sustained move. Chad Brown, his trainer, entered Money Supply in the March 12 Tampa Bay Derby, but Money Supply was scratched after drawing a poor post.
“He always gave me the feel he wants to run long. He’s built more like a route horse. I was surprised he was able to get up going six furlongs. Seven isn’t a bad option for him, though I do think he’ll go farther,” Brown said.
Tejano Twist drew post 12, but a long run to the Lafayette’s one turn gives him plenty of time to find position. Tejano Twist won a first-level Keeneland allowance race last fall by more than seven lengths, and after giving his horse one chance at two turns late last year, trainer Bret Calhoun freshened Tejano Twist, decided to concentrate on one-turn starts, and pointed to this spot.
Racing on an inside speed-biased surface, Tejano Twist couldn’t run down pacesetting Chattalot in a six-furlong Fair Grounds allowance March 9, a start meant to get the colt to the Lafayette.
“We were fortunate have the race in New Orleans. That was key for us,” said Calhoun, who believes Tejano Twist better suits seven furlongs than six.
Old Homestead takes a massive class rise after crushing overmatched foes in a pair of Delta Downs five-furlong sprints. Veteran jockey Thomas Pompell never has won a race at Keeneland.
“Tommy Pompell really loves him,” trainer Brett Brinkman said. “With this race we’ll learn where he needs to be placed. He’s a very smart horse. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him in the morning.”
Old Homestead had a strong six-furlong workout at Evangeline Downs before shipping north. He worked three furlongs at Keeneland, caught unexpected company, and finished with aplomb, said Brinkman, who believes Old Homestead can stay seven furlongs.
Trainer Dallas Stewart entered three horses. Surfer Dude cuts back from a pair of route races, while Unified Report has done his best work facing Louisiana-breds. Magnolia Midnight, off since Jan. 14, has the look of a fresh, dangerous horse who will be a price.
Osbourne, All In Sync, American Xperiment, Barossa, and Ignitis complete the field.