Keeneland: Shadwell Mile moved to Polytrack at 1 1/16 miles

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Less than an hour before scheduled post time after a deluge of rain hit Keeneland, track management transferred Saturday’s Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile to its Polytrack main track and altered the distance to 1 1/16 miles.

The announcement of changes came shortly after the running the of Grade 1 First Lady, which was contested in the midst of a driving rainstorm.

Thereafter track management, in consultation with the jockeys, decided safety necessitated the surface switch. As for the change in distance, it was required, as two-turn races at Keeneland are not less than 1 1/16 miles due to the track’s configuration.

The race’s heavy favorite, Wise Dan, is unlikely to lose any support from bettors, having won the Ben Ali on the Keeneland Polytrack by over 10 lengths the last time he raced over the surface in the spring of 2012.

Because of the surface and distance changes, the Shadwell Mile (race 9) was declared an "all" in the pick three and pick four that end with the 9th race and the late pick four and pick five that end in the 10th race. All horses in he 9th race will be considered winners in that leg of each wager.