Keeneland: Testa Rossi heads baker's dozen for Ashland

Testa Rossi heads a field of 13 3-year-old fillies entered in the richest race of the opening three-day weekend at Keeneland, the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland Stakes on Saturday.

From the rail, this is the field for the 1 1/16-mile Polytrack race: Istandford, Room Service, Macaroon, On the Backstreets, Thank You Marylou, Testa Rossi, Miss Besilu, Rosalind, Candy Kitty, Ireland, Saturday Bliss, Seeking Her Glory, and Resistivity.

Silver Max back in Kentucky

Wise Dan has been defeated by just one horse in his last 11 races: Silver Max, who outran Wise Dan here last fall in the Shadwell Mile over Polytrack.

After finishing fourth behind Wise Dan in the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Mile in the only subsequent start for both horses, Silver Max was sent to GoldMark Farm in Ocala, Fla., where he thrived over the winter before arriving Tuesday at Churchill Downs, according to Mark Bacon, who co-owns the 5-year-old horse with Dana Wells.

“It was the first time he really had a break since his 2-year-old year,” said Bacon. “He looks like a man now. We’re really looking forward to this year with him.”

Silver Max, by Badge of Silver, has won 11 of 23 starts and earned nearly $1.8 million. Dale Romans trains.

Clocker undergoes surgery

John Nichols, a veteran clocker at Churchill and Saratoga, was to be released Wednesday from a Louisville hospital after having a lung removed last week in an emergency procedure.

Nichols, 38, said a cancerous tumor was found in his right lung, necessitating its removal, but the cancer was contained and his long-term prognosis is good. Nichols, a clocker since 2003, is a nephew of the late jockey Jimmy Nichols, whose only Keeneland riding title came exactly 50 years ago this spring.

◗ A fund-raising event, featuring many of the top Keeneland jockeys serving as bartenders and signing autographs, will be held following the races Wednesday at Furlongs restaurant in Lexington. The event will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund. For more information, or to contribute to the silent auction, call (859) 913-5611.