Nashville returns to Keeneland for Commonwealth on upswing
LEXNGTON, Ky. – The last time Nashville ran at Keeneland, he rolled in the Perryville Stakes on the 2020 Breeders’ Cup undercard, a performance so impressive that some felt he should have run in the Sprint later that day.
But it was more than 16 months before Nashville would stand in another winner’s circle. Having done so, he returns to Keeneland on the upswing for Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Commonwealth Stakes, which could propel him on to bigger things. After all, the Breeders’ Cup will again be held at Keeneland this fall.
His foes in Saturday’s field of 11 include O Besos and Prevalance, Kentucky Derby hopefuls at this time last year who are now hoping to reinvent themselves at shorter distances. The Commonwealth is run at seven furlongs.
Nashville, trained by Steve Asmussen for WinStar Farm and China Horse Club, was an 11 1/2-length debut winner in September 2020 at Saratoga, then rolled by 9 3/4 lengths in a Keeneland allowance, earning his career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 103. That victory at the Breeders’ Cup host track was so impressive that he was pre-entered for the Sprint, but ultimately opted for a softer spot in the Perryville. He won by 3 1/2 lengths and ran the six furlongs in a track-record 1:07.89, earning a 102 Beyer. Later in the day, Whitmore won the Sprint in 1:08.61.
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But Nashville faded to fourth in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes that December at Santa Anita. He subsequently had a small knee chip removed, and other small issues curtailed his training in 2021.
“It’s been a long road,” said Elliott Walden, president of Nashville’s owner, WinStar Farm. “Sometimes, horses make you wait.”
Nashville, in steady training since September, returned with a runner-up effort in an allowance in December at Oaklawn, but then was seventh in the King Cotton there. He finally fired with a 4 3/4-length allowance victory March 18 at Fair Grounds. He ran six furlongs in 1:08.61, just missing the track mark of 1:08.03. Nashville, even-money on the Commonwealth morning line, earned a 102 Beyer, the top last-out figure in this field. But just behind him are co-second choices Prevalence and O Besos, coming off figures of 99 and 96, respectively, in longer races.
Prevalence won his first two starts by open lengths early last year at Gulfstream, but then was sixth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial and eighth in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile. Last out, he prompted the pace and went on to win a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream by 4 3/4 lengths March 5.
Nashville, a committed front-runner, breaks from post 5 under Luis Saez. Pace-prompting Prevalence is ideally outside him, in post 10 under Tyler Gaffalione, while Sir Alfred James, a front-running stakes winner at Turfway, leaves from post 3 under John McKee. The question is if either can stay with the naturally speedy Nashville early to give him a challenge.
The development of that pace will be crucial for the late-running O Besos, breaking from post 11 with Irad Ortiz up. Third in last year’s Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, O Besos crossed the line a creditable fifth in the Kentucky Derby, then was second in the Grade 3 Matt Winn. He returned from a layoff with an allowance win at Fair Grounds, then was fourth in the Grade 3 Mineshaft there on Feb. 10. He has turned in a series of sharp works since then as he prepares to cut back in distance, most recently on April 1 at Keeneland.
“I just wanted him to get a trip over the track,” trainer Greg Foley said. “I feel like he will like the one turn.”
Endorsed is coming off a productive winter at Gulfstream, where he was graded stakes-placed both sprinting and routing.