Victory to Victory, Stageplay, Chiltern Street get their seasons going

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three consecutive allowance races Sunday at Keeneland will showcase major contenders with the shared purpose of getting a promising start to their 2017 campaign.

Victory to Victory, Stageplay, and Chiltern Street are those comebackers in the allowances that anchor a nine-card that starts at 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

Victory to Victory, the winner of the Grade 1 Natalma in September on the Woodbine turf as a maiden, will be taking full advantage of the never-won-two conditions of the sixth race, a $72,000 allowance for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf. The Live Oak Plantation homebred will break from post 1 with Florent Geroux riding.

“She’s been training very well, and this seems like a perfect comeback spot,” said Norman Casse, son and assistant of trainer Mark Casse. “When the Keeneland condition book came out, this was always the first option.”

Thirty minutes later, Stageplay will make her first start in nearly a year in the $76,000 seventh race, a third-level allowance at seven furlongs. Stageplay, now 4, won three of her first four starts, including a pair of stakes, before her form tailed off last spring.

“Her breezes up to this have been really nice,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “Obviously, she’s a filly with a lot of talent. We’re hoping she’ll take her game to a new level this year but didn’t want to put that pressure on her by bringing her back in a race any more difficult than we had to.”

Geroux also has the mount on Stageplay, who breaks from post 2 in a field of eight older fillies and mares.

Chiltern Street will make his first start in more than five months when he breaks from the rail under Robby Albarado as part of a full lineup of turf sprinters in the $74,000 eighth race, a second-level allowance.

“He’s doing awesome,” said Wesley Ward, who is in contention for leading trainer as this 15-day spring meet winds down. “We’ve had a lot of our sharpshooters already run, but he’s one of the really good ones we’ve got left.”

One earlier allowance (race 3) also is part of an excellent card that also includes a starter allowance (race 1), a $50,000 claimer (race 2), and a maiden special weight event (race 5).

After Sunday, Keeneland goes dark for two days before the final three-day stretch of the meet begins Wednesday. Friday is closing day, with the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes serving as the feature. Churchill Downs starts its spring meet Saturday with an evening program.