O'Keeffe, Aug Lutes bring sharp synthetic form to Holiday Inaugural
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
A couple of horses with notable prior success over synthetic surfaces are drawn alongside each other as major contenders in the $100,000 Holiday Inaugural, a six-furlong Tapeta race that kicks off the 2021-22 stakes schedule Saturday night at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
O’Keeffe, a 5-year-old mare with a 6-for-12 record on synthetics, will have Gerardo Corrales aboard from post 5 after shipping down from Chicago to face other nine fillies and mares in the 35th Holiday Inaugural. Aug Lutes, one of six 3-year-olds in here, is among the chief opposition after compiling a 3-for-5 mark over synthetics in her six-race career.
Larry Rivelli is the trainer of O’Keeffe, whose most recent start resulted in a runner-up finish in the Satin N Lace on Aug. 30 at Presque Isle Downs. After getting a brief timeout, O’Keeffe has geared back up with four workouts, strongly suggesting the Munnings mare will be ready to roll when the Holiday Inaugural goes under the lights as the fifth of eight races on a Saturday card that starts at 6:15 p.m. Eastern. O’Keeffe’s impressive slate includes victories in five allowances over synthetics, including a July romp at Arlington that resulted in a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
Corrales was the leading jockey at Turfway at the 2021 winter-spring meet with 40 winners.
Aug Lutes (post 6, Rafael Bejarano), based in northern Maryland with Mike Trombetta, was fourth in the Grade 2 Bessarabian at Woodbine three Saturdays ago after posting a 19-1 upset with a field-high 92 Beyer in the Glen Cove on Oct. 15 over the Belmont Park turf. The Midnight Lute filly began her career with three straight wins, all sprints on synthetics.
O’Keeffe and Aug Lutes are among the eight Kentucky-breds in the lineup and therefore are eligible for a share of $20,000 in bonuses folded into the Holiday Inaugural purse. Jakarta and Threatlevelmidnite are the only entries ineligible for the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund supplements.
Fringe players in a solid cast include Lady Edith, Bullseye Beauty, and Razor Glass.
The Holiday Inaugural leads off a restored stakes schedule that culminates April 2 with the Jeff Ruby Steaks, a 100-point qualifier for the Kentucky Derby. The next stakes at the holiday meet, which began Thursday, is the My Charmer on Dec. 11.
For the second straight winter, fans are not permitted at Turfway as the facility continues to undergo a total overhaul expected for completion next summer.
Clear skies and a nighttime low of 34 degrees are in the Florence forecast. The Holiday Inaugural goes at 8:14.
Turfway will host racing mostly at nights throughout the winter, except for Sundays, when first post is 1 p.m.