Keeneland notes: 'Ladies' shine

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Although rain and chill were back by Monday, a weekend of terrific weather yielded a combined three-day attendance of 74,788 at Keeneland, including 39,722 on Blue Grass Day, the second-highest in track history.

Part of the allure for the 20,741 who turned out Sunday was a “Ladies of the Turf” event that attracted an extraordinary group of retired and active female jockeys, including pioneers such as Kathy Kusner, Diane Crump, Barbara Jo Rubin, Patti Cooksey, and Kaye Bell, all of whom recorded notable firsts of sorts.

Also in attendance were Julie Krone, the only female jockey in the Hall of Fame, as well as the mother-daughter combination of Patti and Donna Barton, Andrea Seefeldt, Mary Wiley, Tammy Fox, and many more.

“I don’t think anybody has ever gotten so many of us together like this,” Cooksey said at a morning reception at the Keeneland Library. “This is absolutely fabulous.”

Castellano to serve suspension

Javier Castellano will serve a three-day suspension Wednesday through Friday after his mount was disqualified from second to third in a race last week for being permitted to drift out and impede another horse.

Castellano will be giving up his only mount on the Wednesday card and will return to the saddle Saturday. The 36-year-old Venezuelan won the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey last year with mount earnings of $26.2 million.

Fillies set for Appalachian

An outstanding field of 12 3-year-old fillies has been entered for the Thursday feature, the Grade 3 Appalachian at a mile on turf. Among those entered are Recepta, Zinzay, Lacarolina, Sweet Acclaim, Daring Dancer, Kitten Kaboodle, and Resistivity.

The Thursday card also includes the second 2-year-old race of the meet, a 4 1/2-furlong dash that drew an uncoupled pair from the Wesley Ward barn.

Untapable breezes for Oaks

Untapable, the solid favorite for the May 2 Kentucky Oaks, had her first breeze since her last start when breezing five furlongs in 1:02.40 early Sunday over a fast track at Churchill Downs.

Bred and owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen, Untapable will run in the Oaks off sensational back-to-back wins in the Feb. 22 Rachel Alexandra and March 29 Fair Grounds Oaks.

◗ In sharp contrast to last spring, when they smashed the single-meet Keeneland records in their respective categories with a remarkable 25 winners each, the 2014 spring meet has been a real struggle so far for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey and their main trainer, Mike Maker.

Through the first eight programs, the Ramseys had won with just two of 25 starters, while Maker was 2 for 36.

◗ The Kentucky Derby Museum is bringing its popular “It’s My Derby” experience to Lexington for a second time. Open to the public, the event once again will be moderated by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and is set for Friday night at the Keeneland sales pavilion. A live auction of Derby Week packages and other items will be part of the evening entertainment. Tickets range from $50 to $150 and are available at derbymuseum.org.