Romans expecting top effort from Keen Ice

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Though his form suggests he will be overmatched in what looks to be one of the toughest fields in years, Keen Ice gives trainer Dale Romans a good feeling heading into Saturday’s 141st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

“He’s going to run the best race of his life,” Romans said Monday in his Churchill Downs barn office. “I’ve gotten more aggressive with him, and the mile and a quarter is going to be a huge difference.”

Keen Ice, a son of Curlin, made the Derby field last Saturday when trainer Todd Pletcher said that Madefromlucky would not run. Keen Ice, owned by Jerry Crawford’s Donegal Racing, ranks 20th on the points list.

Keen Ice is only 1 for 7, with his maiden victory coming last September at Churchill Downs. Since then, he’s competed in five consecutive graded stakes, with a third to Leave the Light On in the Remsen at Aqueduct and a third to International Star in the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds in February. In his most recent start, Keen Ice and jockey James Graham finished fourth behind International Star in the Louisiana Derby.

“I thought the pace was slow,” Romans said. “I thought [Graham] ran him up behind horses a little bit. It was kind of a weird race.”

Romans is switching riders for the Derby to Kent Desormeaux, a three-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider who also has four third-place Derby finishes, including two for Romans on Paddy O’ Prado in 2010 and Dullahan in 2012.

Romans said Desormeaux “is one of the few jockeys who can change the outcome of a race.”