Keeneland Saturday

THE final Grade 1 races in the build up to the Breeders’ Cup take place in the US this weekend and there is Irish interest in Keeneland’s two Grade 1s.

Dermot Weld rarely wastes his air miles and he sends Tarawa with Chris Hayes on board to contest the Grade 1 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare (9.44pm) over a turf mile.

With two wins this season, her Group 3 Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes success was boosted by the second, Hanalia, winning a Group 2 at Irish Champions Festival.

The race also contains the former Patrick Foley-trained Special Wan. The Team Valor International and Steven Rocco-owned daughter of Belardo is now trained by Brendan Walsh, after her win at Kentucky Downs.

Chad Brown, predictably seems to offer the dangers with Gina Romantica and Whitebeam. Last year’s winner, Gina Romantica is winless from four outings this season, but has kept Grade 1 company. Whitebeam was only fourth in this last season, but her Grade 1 Diana Stakes win at Saratoga in July puts her to the front rank.

SELECTION: WHITEBEAM

Next Best: Tarawa

Hayes takes a mount for Ballydoyle in the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile (10.16pm), where Mountain Bear joins Harry Charlton’s Kikkuli in the European challenge.

Mountain Bear ran one of his best races last time at Leopardstown, when closing down the outside to take third behind Diego Velazquez and this week’s winner Mutasarref. He has three lengths to make up on Kikkuli from their Group 2 Jersey Stakes placings. Kikkuli, a half-brother to Frankel, comes off a close fourth-place finish in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury. His second to Haatem in that Jersey Stakes on faster ground at Royal Ascot was probably a better run.

“This is a good opportunity for him to get a Grade 1,” Charlton said at the track this week. “Given his pedigree, it is important to get one. There was only one race left at the end of October at Ascot and, by that time, the ground should be very soft.”

More Than Looks (Cherie DeVaux) and Irish-bred Carl Spackler (Chad Brown) head the home team. They finished first and second in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga, with the Brown colt three and a half lengths the best. There seems no reason why he can’t repeat that run.

SELECTION: Carl Spackler

Next Best: Mountain Bear

The Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for juveniles has Gustavo Delgado’s Ferocious seeking compensation of defeat, when favourite in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga and he emerged with plenty of credit from that race.

Belmont at Aqueduct

Action kicks off with the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational (7.13pm), where in the absence of Legend Of Time, Carson’s Run bids to make up for recent defeat by British raider Bellum Justem in the big money prize for the Grade 3 Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

That came after he had won the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes from Legend Of Time and tonight’s rival Deterministic in third. He didn’t look entirely suited to the track in Kentucky, closing late when the winner had gone clear.

There are two juvenile contests over a mile on the card and, in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes Chad Brown’s amusingly named Chancer McPatrick, bids to add this to his Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga.

The nine-runner Frizette Stakes for fillies is wide open, with Senza Parole ruled out and with graded form to her name, Saffie Joseph’s The Queens M G might be the one to take advantage.

Fillies are also to the fore on the Belmont at Aqueduct card tomorrow and Raging Sea, who overhauled Idiomatic last time in that Saratoga Grade 1, looks the winner of the Grade 2 Beldame for Chad Brown.

Keeneland Sunday

Sunday’s Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes over nine furlongs gives the sponsors’ star dirt mare Idiomatic her final tune up before defending her Breeders’ Cup Distaff title, when she faces Thorpedo Anna at Del Mar.

Contesting three Grade 1s so far this season, she met narrow defeats on two occasions to Randomized in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Saratoga and Raging Sea last time, but she went for home far too early that time and Todd Pletcher’s three-year-old Candied tests the water for the classic generation. She met a narrow defeat to Power Squeeze over a furlong longer in the Grade 1 Alabama last time, but was well behind Thorpedo Anna in the CCA Oaks. Idiomatic should have her day again.

Santa Anita

West coast action at Santa Anita offers the females the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes over 10 furlongs and Philip D’Amato’s Iscreamuscream can win her fifth race of the season and add to her Grade 1 win last time in the Del Mar Oaks. The former Fozzy Stack-trained Aspen Grove won her first race for Jack Sisterson in an allowance contest last time, while the Irish-bred Cotai Glory filly Sunset Glory is on a four-timer for the Michael McCarthy stable.

The Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes for two-year-olds has McKinzie Street just favourite over Bob Baffert’s son of Curlin, Getaway Car, and his Citizen Bull, second, third and fourth last time in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity.