Keeneland

First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare (Grade 1)

Coolmore Turf Mile (Grade 1)

Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (Grade 1)

IT’S been a terrific year for the Ballylinch 17-year-old sire Lope De Vega on both continents and a week after his ‘next crop’ produced a star two-year-old in Shadow Of Light winning the Group 1 Middle Park, the four-year-old colt Carl Spackler produced another dominant performance in winning the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile, his second Grade 1 win of the year in the US.

It was trainer Chad Brown’s 50th Keeneland stakes race victory and first in the race.

Tyler Gaffalione on Carl Spackler controlled the race, outracing Talk Of The Nation and Spirit Of St Louis to the first turn and set comfortable fractions to a half mile in 47.28sec.

On the far turn, Carl Spackler increased his advantage on the field, hit the top of the stretch in control and had more than enough left to hold off More Than Looks who came from well back in a belated bid. The winner completed the mile in 1m 34.23secs.

Covered in sweat

Ballydoyle’s Mountain Bear with Chris Hayes in the saddle made for some spectacular photos when playing up pre-race and was covered in sweat at the start. In the circumstances he ran well to stay on for third.

The British runner, Harry Chalton’s Kikukli was more disappointing, finding little late and finishing sixth of the nine under Frankie Derttori.

With the victory, Carl Spackler earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and increased his earnings to $1,568,475.

First Lady

The second Grade 1 on the card was the First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare and it brought a second win in the race for Peter Brant’s Gina Romantica, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz.

The grey favourite Ag Bullet raced off to an uncontested lead with fractions of 46.01secs for the half mile as Ortiz gave Gina Romantica a ground-saving trip in third. At the top of the stretch, Gina Romantica came off the rail and took aim on Ag Bullet and the five-year-old mare raced past Ag Bullet at the furlong pole and coasted to a two-length victory over stablemate Chili Flag, making it a one, two, three for Chad Brown.

Dermot Weld’s Tarawa was towards the back early and forced very wide on the home turn but didn’t find a huge amount when asked and stayed on for a nearest-at-the-finish sixth. Special Wan, formerly trained here by Patrick Foley, showed up well for a long way in her first Grade 1, eventually finishing just out of the money in seventh of the 11 runners.

Gina Romantica completed the mile over a firm turf course in 1:33.80, faster than Carl Spackler. She joins Uni (2019 and 2020) as winners of the race in consecutive years.

Sunday

Sunday’s feature at Keeneland was the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes over nine furlongs and the Brad Cox-trained favourite Idiomatic sealed a fine weekend for Juddmonte in running out a six and half-length winner from Occult and Candied. Breaking well, she always had this race under control

Winner of the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff last year, one of her nine wins from 13 starts, she is set for one of the races of the Del Mar meeting when she takes on top three-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna in this year’s contest on the first weekend in November.

Quoted on BloodHorse, Juddmonte general manager Garrett O’Rourke said: “I think it will create a great amount of interest. It’s more fun to the day, the fans, and it proves something of the work the horses are doing. It’s going to be exciting.”

The Curlin filly Raging Sea, who had beaten Idiomatic by a head in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga last time was at short odds for the Grade 2 Beldame Stakes but she had to battle as Batucada dug in until the final strides, when the favourite got on top for a head victory. She too goes to the Distaff with trainer Chad Brown quoted afterwards: “I’m confident with the four weeks I have and her not having to run a fast figure today that she’ll be able to again hopefully circle back to that Saratoga [defeat of Idiomatic] race. That race, with the right pace setup, is good enough to at least be competitive out there.”

Aqueduct

With the absence of Charlie Appleby’s Legend Of Time, Dylan Davis and Carson’s Run came from last to capture the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct.

It was his second victory in the New York Racing Association’s series of turf races for three-year-old males, having skipped the first leg, the July Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (won by Trikari), he won the middle leg, the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes in August and took this series finale. Christophe Clement’s winner will not appear at the Breeders’ Cup the training saying: “It’s going to be a lot of fun next year.”

Godolphin’s East Avenue on the road to stardom

Darley Alcibiades Stakes (Grade 1)

Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (Grade 1)

IT was a weekend where the two-year-old picture beEcame clearer with five Grade 1s over the east and west coast.

Gainesway’s sire McKinze took the honours with two Grade 1 winners in his first crop as Chancer McPatrick and Scottish Lassie took the two Grade 1s at Aqueduct Belmont.

A four-time Grade 1 winner for Bob Baffert in three seasons on the track, the young sire also had Quickick and McKinzie Street placed in two more of the weekend Grade 1s.

Godolphin ruled the days at Keeneland, taking the two Grade 1s there and the home-bred East Avenue (Medaglia d’Oro), trained by Brendan Walsh, was particularly impressive in winning the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity over a mile and half a furlong.

He made virtually all and went clear up the stretch to win comfortably by five and a quarter-lengths from favourite Ferocious who in turn was well clear of the third, to go two wins from two starts. Tyler Gaffalione, who went on to a Grade 1 double on Carl Spackler said: “I had plenty of horse left.”

Luis Saez, rider of Ferocious, claimed foul against East Avenue, for interference into the first turn as several runners tried to secure position. The etewards made no change to the finishing order.

Another Godolphin winner

In the fillies’ Grade 1 on the Friday, the Darley Alcibiades Stakes, it was the Brad Cox-trained Nyquist filly Immersive who won the day, to give Godolphin a first win in the race as Manny Franco steered her to a length and a quarter success.

The homebred beat Quickick by a length and a quarter lengths, to make it three from three following a maiden victory and a triumph over Quietside (third here) in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga Race over the summer.

Always well positioned after breaking from the outside, Immersive stalked Rich City Girl and Liam In The Dust before taking command in the straight though she seemed to lose focus as Quickick was a brief danger.

She is likely to head to the Breeders’ Cup with Brad Cox saying: “This is a very talented filly.”

Chancer sparkles in Champagne

Champagne Stakes (Grade 1)

Frizette Stakes (Grade 1)

American Pharoah Stakes (Grade 1)

BELMONT at Aqueduct featured two Grade 1 juvenile contests and established the leading juvenile colt of the season so far when Chancer McPatrick added to his Saratoga Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes win in taking the Champagne Stakes for Chad Brown and Flavien Prat.

Some had thought Ferocious a bit unlucky when second to him in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes but there was no fluke about this impressive performance by Chancer McPatrick to win the Grade 1 Champagne. [Is he the most interestingly named colt stateside along with Canadian juvenile Patches O’Houlihan who won a Grade 2 at Woodbine on Saturday?]

Last early on, the McKinzie colt, racing for Flanagan Racing, made his move with acceleration round the field before the turn-in and galloped on strongly to win by two and three-quarter lengths, racing the mile in 1m 36.51secs.

“When I made that move outside, he kind of made a move then he switched off again and then regrouped and made another run. It’s nice to see that he has a few runs into him,” jockey Flavien Prat said

Trainer Chad Brown has had four Champagne winners who were either beaten in or failed to make it to the Breeders’ Cup

“I’ve gone to the (Juvenile) before with horses who have won (the Hopeful and Champagne) but this horse seems to be in a different category. I am not sure if I had that with the other horses this early. I think he’s a unique horse for this particular race,” Brown said.

“He runs his race like he’s a year older than he is. He runs like an experienced three-year-old. He has a long, strong run,” Brown said

The juvenile fillies lack a star so far - morning-line favourite Senza Parole and two others were non runners - but Scottish Lassie was an impressive winner of the Grade 1 Frizette.

McKinzie’s daughter took over as the field turned for home and powered away impressively to win by nine lengths under Jose Lezcano, giving trainer Jorge Abreu his first graded victory.

Santa Anita

On the west coast, Bob Baffert predictably picked up another Grade 1 when jockey Martin Garcia picked up the mount on Citizen Bull, a colt by Into Mischief in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes.

When the gate opened in the mile and half a furlong contest, Garcia and Citizen Bull burst out of the gate and took the lead, getting the first quarter-mile in :23.85.

Baffert’s favourite Getaway Car kept the pressure on until the three-eighths pole, when Citizen Bull started to pull away and flashed under the wire two lengths clear of Getaway Car finished over five lengths ahead of third-place McKinzie Street.

Baffert also saddled the first three in the juvenile fillies’ Grade 2, the Oak Leaf Stakes, with the Tiz The Law filly Non Compliant, ridden by Juan Hernandez, who went off favourite, scoring by over two lengths.