Winter Sunset returns from year layoff in one of three co-features
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Not only has Keeneland carded three allowances for the penultimate day of the fall meet, but all three drew capacity fields. That’s pretty good for “playing out the string” at a front-loaded 17-day meet that ends Saturday.
Every one of the co-features are restricted to females and are scheduled for turf; track officials can only hope rain will hold off as the afternoon unfolds. Showers doused the region Monday and Tuesday, and after sunshine returned Wednesday, a 50 percent chance of rain was in the local forecast for Friday.
Here’s a quick look at each of the co-features on a 10-race card that starts at 1:05 p.m. Eastern:
Race 4: Twelve 2-year-old fillies with anywhere from one to four career starts will go 1 1/16 miles, farther than most of them have raced. It’s a bit tough getting past the rail filly, Cecile’s Chapter, not only because of her solid fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, but also because of the hot hand trainer Brad Cox continues to wield.
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Still, there are ample alternatives in this $71,000, first-level race, including a quartet off sharp maiden wins – Misspell, Magnetism, Betcha by Golly, and Fast N Fine Worker. Throw in sleepers such as Blissful Change and Momentous Miss, and suddenly it’s a horse race.
Race 7: There’s no obvious standout in this $71,000, first-level sprint for fillies and mares, even though the public will probably default to Abuse of Power after the gray filly earned an 80 Beyer Speed Figure in a last-out maiden romp at Monmouth Park for Chad Brown. It would seem a shame, however, to settle on something like 5-2 in such a wide-open event, with another half-dozen of her opponents looking equally capable.
That group includes the Wesley Ward duo of Jades Gelly and Sequin; the Mike Maker pair of Moravia and Aunt Nadine; and First Wave and Lea’s Princess.
Race 9: This $75,000, third-level mile showcases the most accomplished horse on the card – Winter Sunset, who returns from a one-year layoff with a series of recent works after becoming a two-time stakes winner last year at 3.
“We’re hoping to get a firm enough turf that she’ll win right off,” trainer Wayne Catalano said. “We actually had her almost ready to run this spring, but she had a little setback, nothing big. We’re excited about having her back.”
Winter Sunset, a Phillips family homebred out of the standout mare Winter Memories, will have Florent Geroux up when breaking from post 9 in an oversubscribed lineup of fillies and mares.
◗ Friday is College Scholarship Day, even without ontrack fans. Students who are eligible for $30,000 in scholarship giveaways can register through the track website, keeneland.com.