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KEENELAND DAILY NOTEBOOK FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008 by Brian P. Turner Friday's feature was the Doubledogdare S. (G3) for fillies and mares, four-years-old and up, going 1 1/16 miles over the Polytrack. A field of seven went to the gate, with Panty Raid (Include) being sent off as the favorite. The four-year-old filly was a perfect two-for-two here at Keeneland, including an impressive score here last fall in the Spinster S. (G1) where she rallied from off the pace to claim the victory by a half-length. Though this was her first start of the year, the dark bay had been working well for her return to the track and appeared to be in an ideal spot to begin her 2008 campaign. In the end though, it was CARRIAGE TRAIL (Giant's Causeway) who took the lead shortly after leaving the gate and never looked back as she guided the field through opening fractions of :25 1/5 and :49 before opening up in the stretch drive to hit the finish line 1 1/4 lengths in front. Carriage Trail was exiting a sixth-place finish here in the seven furlong Madison S. (G2) where she was next to last early and never really made up a whole lot of ground from there, beaten by 4 3/4 lengths. After closing from off the pace in each of her first nine starts, the five-year-old mare was extremely impressive here displaying an entirely new running style and her new found versatility could lead to even bigger things in the future. Say You Will (Ire) (A.P. Indy), who was exiting a second-place effort in the La Canada S. (G2) at Santa Anita, was content to lay off the pace early and finished well late to cross the wire in second, a half-length clear of Indescribable (Pleasant Tap) in third. Panty Raid was in contention early but came up empty in the stretch drive and faded to finish last. There were four sprints contested over the Polytrack Friday with horses on or near the pace winning three of them. As for the five routes, horses on or near the pace won four of theses as well. The lone turf offering on the day was a 12 furlong marathon which was won by a runner closely stalking the pace. Kent Desormeaux guided Carriage Trail to victory in the Doubledogdare as he continues the hot streak he has enjoyed for the majority of the meet. He still leads the way in the jockey standings with 18 for the meet. Jamie Theriot and Garrett Gomez both went winless on the day and remain in second and third, respectively, with 10 and nine winners each. Bill Mott was unable to add to his total today but still leads the way in the trainer standings with seven for the meet. Todd Pletcher saddled a winner on the day and now has sole possession of second with six followed by Dallas Stewart with five. Horses to Watch 3RD - CHEROKEE QUEEN (Cherokee Run) just missed last out while going eight furlongs on the grass in her career debut at Gulfstream but more than made up for it in this 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight event. The three-year-old filly got hung out wide going into the first turn but was still able to work herself into a nice position just off the pace through opening fractions that went in :23 1/5 and :47 1/5. The dark bay moved up to challenge on the second turn before digging in determinedly in the stretch drive to take command on her way to a hard fought one-length victory. 5TH - RUN AWAY AND HIDE (City Zip) had a very nice career debut for trainer Ronny Werner in this two-year-old maiden special weight event. The betting public obviously new what they were doing when they bet the bay down to 3-1 off a 10-1 morning line as he quickly moved up to take the lead upon leaving the gate and never looked back on his way to an easy 3 1/4-length victory. Tomorrow's Outlook - Saturday, April 19 Keeneland will offer a total of three stakes races for the final Saturday of the meet, highlighted by the Lexington S. (G2) for three-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles over the Polytrack. It is now or never for several members of this field of 11 as they try to get the graded earnings needed to make it into the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby (G1). Trainer Todd Pletcher had a big day here last weekend as he secured spots for both Monba (Maria's Mon) and Cowboy Cal (Giant's Causeway) in the starting gate for the Derby as they finished first and second, respectively, in the Blue Grass S. (G1). He is undoubtedly hoping for the same sort of outcome here as he will be sending out the uncoupled entry of ATONED (Repent) and BEHINDATTHEBAR (Forest Wildcat). Of the two, Atoned appears to have the best shot of making it into the winner's circle, though he is exiting a bit of a lackluster effort in the Illinois Derby (G2) where he finished fourth, beaten by 5 1/2 lengths. Prior to that effort though, the dark bay missed by only a neck in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and ended his 2007 campaign with a neck second in the Remsen S. (G2) at Aqueduct. If the colt rebounds off his effort last out, he stands a solid chance here. SALUTE THE SARGE (Forest Wildcat) was all the rage in southern California last summer as he began his career with three wins in a row, including scores in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. (G3) and Del Mar's Best Pal S. (G2). The bay began to tail off a bit as he stretched out, including a dismal showing in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) where he finished ninth, beaten by 33 1/2 lengths. The colt returned in March with a nice victory in the San Miguel S. at Santa Anita, which should have him sitting on a big effort here if he can handle the distance. Behindtatthebar rallied from off the pace for an impressive four-length win against allowance competition at Santa Anita last out and may be ready for another try against stakes competition after a lackluster effort in the El Camino Real Derby (G3). The bay has run well in all three starts over all-weather tracks. The fact that David Flores is making the trip in from California for the ride only adds to his appeal. TOMCITO (Street Cry [Ire]) made his North American debut a third-place effort in the Florida Derby (G1) after a stellar career in South America, where he absolutely dominated the competition in four of his five starts. If the bay moves forward off his effort last out, he would definitely loom as a contender here. RACECAR RHAPSODY (Tale of the Cat) made his 2008 debut in the Lane's End S. (G2) at Turfway, where he rallied from 10th to finish fourth, beaten by four lengths. The bay broke his maiden here at Keeneland last fall and if he moves forward off his effort last out, he can contend as well. BIG GLEN (Cactus Ridge) is exiting a nice win in the Rushaway S. at Turfway in which he stalked the pace early before digging in determinedly late to hit the finish line in front by a neck. The chestnut has won three of his last four starts, finishing off-the-board in the John Battaglia Memorial S. after running into trouble. SAMBA ROOSTER (Songandaprayer) may not find Keeneland's surface to be conducive to his front-running style but he has been running pretty well at Gulfstream. The dark bay will be making his first start for trainer Bob Baffert, and as a side note, according to the overnights, jockey Garrett Gomez will not carry a whip for this event. ST. JOE (Trippi) will be looking for his third win at Keeneland, though this will be his toughest test to date. The chestnut broke his maiden here last fall by 2 1/2 lengths, then won a seven-furlong allowance event here on April 4 in wire-to-wire fashion. The colt is the speediest member of the field but the biggest question is the distance. RILEY TUCKER (Harlan's Holiday) finished second last out here in the Transylvania S. (G3), which was originally slated for the grass but moved to the Polytrack. The dark bay did encounter some trouble in the event as he was bumped at the start and is capable of better today. FELON (Stephen Got Even) and RED SANDY (Yes It's True) are taking a big jump since each one only broke their maiden in their last start. Also on Saturday, a field of nine is set to contest the Giant's Causeway S. for fillies and mares, three-years-old and up, going 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass. DANCEROFTHEREALM (GB) (King of Kings [Ire]) will be looking for her fourth win in a row sprinting on the grass. Two of those victories came against stakes competition. Her latest win came in the Bienville S. at Fair Grounds, where she rallied from 8 1/2 lengths off the early lead before hitting the finish line 1 3/4 lengths in front. The bay will require some early pace in front of her but if she gets it, she is the one to beat. JUST FOR KEEPS (Broken Vow) has come close in each of her last four starts since moving into the barn of Michael Maker. The bay is exiting a third-place effort in the Queen S. at Turfway, where she missed by only three parts of a length, and her connections hope the addition of blinkers today will be enough to get her into the winner's circle. JAZZY (Arg) (Mutakddim) was making her first start of the year when finishing second in the aforementioned Bienville last out. The six-year-old mare put in some very solid efforts last year, including a win in the Gallant Bloom H. (G2) at Belmont. If the bay moves forward off her latest effort, she too looms a threat. POLA'S PLACE (Out of Place) is exiting an excellent gate-to-wire victory in Turfway's Queen S.. The five-year-old mare is the speediest member of the field but did not handle the grass in her lone start over it at Churchill Downs. The bay becomes more appealing should this event come off the grass. TALETOBETOLD (Tale of the Cat) will be looking to rebound off a lackluster showing in the Bienville, where she finished ninth, beaten by seven lengths. The dark bay has run well on the grass in the past, though, including a second-place effort in the Franklin County S. here last October. KINDLING (Boundary) finished third in the Bienville before running fourth against allowance/optional claiming company on the Polytrack here at Keeneland. It has been quite some time since the chestnut visited the winner's circle and the presence of Desormeaux in the saddle is interesting. FANLIGHT FANNY (Lear Fan) finished just ahead of Kindling here last out as she attempted to lead the field wire-to-wire. The dark bay is another who has put in some solid efforts on the grass in the past. BEN'S GRAND BABE (Millennium Wind) and TALE OF THE DEVIL (Tale of the Cat) round out the field but appear to be in a bit deep against the best of this bunch. Finally on Saturday, a field of eight is scheduled to contest the inaugural running of the Fort Harrod S. for four-year-olds and up going 13 furlongs on the Polytrack. Marathons such as this can be a bit tricky as the number of races contested at this distance are few and far between, so insist on value before wagering. SUCCESSFUL AFFAIR (Successful Appeal) seems to run better the farther he goes as all of his best efforts have come going long. The six-year-old gelding is exiting a fourth-place effort while going 1 1/16 miles against fellow New York-breds and it appeared as if he were just finding his best stride when the race came to an end. The 13 furlongs he gets today suits him to no end and the fact that Desormeaux takes the mount only adds to his appeal. HIGH BLUES (High Yield) is exiting a nice victory in the Tejano Run S. at Turfway in which he rallied from 13 lengths off the early pace to claim the victory by 1 3/4 lengths. Though this will be his first attempt at this distance, the dark bay has the appearance of one that can handle it. RATHOR (Ire) (Machiavellian [GB]) has a pedigree that says he can run all day and he should find this group to be a bit easier than what he has faced in each of his last two starts as both of those efforts came against graded stakes competition. SAVE BIG MONEY (Storm Cat) offers nice value here at 5-1 and he has a pedigree that says he should handle the distance. The chestnut has been putting in some average efforts on the grass as of late but has run well on all-weather tracks in the past. TWISTING ROAD (Giant's Causeway) has gone as far as 15 furlongs and finished second when doing so. Though the bay hasn't been facing the level of competition some of these runners have, the distance may work in his favor. JADE'S REVENGE (Quiet American) has not been in the greatest form as of late but he did win the Ben Ali S. (G3) here last fall. A reversal in form would put him squarely in contention. NOLAN'S CAT (Catienus) won his 2008 debut at Turfway against allowance/optional claiming company and fits well here with any improvement at all. POISON PILL (Thunder Gulch) looks to be in a bit too deep against these. Saturday's forecast calls for periods of rain with a high near 60. Saturday's Best Plays 1ST - SETTE E MEZZO (Dynaformer) finished a respectable third while going seven furlongs in his career debut but he has a pedigree that says he wants to go longer so today's 1 1/16 miles should definitely suit him. The three-year-old colt posted a very solid BRIS Speed rating in that debut effort and his BRIS Late Pace rating indicates that he was just finding his best stride late. Toss in the fact that the bay has the always dangerous Mott/Desormeaux combination in his corner and there is a lot to like. 7TH - MORAKAMI (Fusaichi Pegasus) should find the drop in class to be enough to get her back into the winner's circle in this six-furlong allowance event. The dark bay has tried graded company in each of her last two starts -- a fourth-place finish in the Forward Gal S. (G2) at Gulfstream and a fifth-place finish in the Bourbonette Oaks (G3) at Turfway. The three-year-old filly tops the field in BRIS Prime Power by more than five points and also possesses the best BRIS Class rating.
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