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KEENELAND DAILY NOTEBOOK OPENING DAY PREVIEW by Brian P. Turner It was on October 15, 1936 that Keeneland Race Course first opened its gates to hungry fans of Thoroughbred racing in Central Kentucky for its inaugural nine-day meet. The old Kentucky Association Racetrack in Lexington closed its doors forever in 1933, and at the time of its closing it was the oldest continuously operating racetrack in North America. Afterward, a group of some of the city's most prominent horsemen and businessmen decided to band together in an effort to return racing to the area as they felt that it just wasn't right for there to be no racetrack in the heart of Thoroughbred country. From the outset, Keeneland was a unique venture in racing as it was the brainchild of renowned horseman J.O. "Jack" Keene, who began work on the track in 1916 envisioning a gathering place for himself and his friends to meet and race their horses for the simple enjoyment of the sport. Keene spared no expense in his grand venture as he was determined to create a European style "racecourse" on the outskirts of Lexington among the horse farms for which the region was famous. He hired stonecutters to individually cut and fit each piece of stone into place that would adorn the structure, modeling the appearance on the racecourses he had seen on his travels through Europe. The magnitude of the enterprise eventually depleted Keene's resources, but it was at this time that the aforementioned group of Lexington horsemen and businessmen stepped in and raised the money to purchase the property from Keene. They shared Keene's vision of a track that put the racing above all else. So from the outset, Keeneland was set up as a non-profit organization to ensure that business decisions never outweighed the racing. To this day, Keeneland's profits go into the maintenance of the track itself, to purses, to charity, and back into the city of Lexington. On Friday, April 4, Keeneland will open its gates for its 16-day spring meeting which includes a total of 18 stakes races. A total of 15 of these stakes offerings are graded with three of them carrying Grade 1 status. The highlight of the meet will come on April 12 when Keeneland offers a total of three graded stakes races featuring the $750,000 Blue Grass S. (G1) for three-year-olds going nine furlongs. Current Kentucky Derby (G1) favorite Pyro (Pulpit) is expected for the event as he attempts to follow in the hoofprints of Street Sense (Street Cry [Ire]), who used his second-place effort in the Blue Grass as a stepping stone to a thrilling 2 1/4-length victory on the first Saturday in May. The Ashland S. (G1) will be held on April 5 and this event always seems to produce serious contenders for the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Although no one was a match for the ultra talented Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) in last year's running of the Oaks, three of the next four spots in the order of finish were filled with fillies who had made their last start in the Ashland. The newest Grade 1 offering for Keeneland will be the Maker's Mark Mile S., which will be contested on Friday, April 11. Though this will be the first year this event carries such lofty status, it is recognition that is long overdue as it routinely attracts some of the most accomplished turf milers in the world. For horseplayers, Keeneland is a dream come true as the track has one of the lowest takeout rates in the country. The takeout for win, place and show wagers is only 16 percent, while the takeout for exotic wagers is a low 19 percent. Keeneland also offers the extremely popular 10-cent superfecta as well as 50-cent Pick 4s and trifectas, which allows the frugal bettor a chance at some nice payoffs with a minimal investment. New to Keeneland's wagering menu this year will be the Super High 5 wager, which has been getting some attention in Southern California, as well as a Maker's Mark Mile/Blue Grass S. Daily Double. With all of the tremendous purse money offered in the spring, Keeneland will have one of the finest jockey colonies in the country on hand, and with all of the stakes races, most of the top tier jockeys not stabled here will at least make an appearance. The last several meets have proven to be a slugfest between Julien Leparoux and Rafael Bejarano, with the latter gaining the advantage last fall by a score of 21-15. For wagering purposes, however, keep an eye on Jamie Theriot if he once more decides to move his tack here for the spring meet. He won with a solid 16 percent of his mounts here last fall with an average win payoff of $19.20. As for the trainers, Bill Mott captured the training title here in the fall as nine of his 39 starters made their way into the winner's circle. Kenny McPeek and H. Graham Motion finished in a tie for second with seven winners each. Other top trainers such as Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher will have stables here as well, so the battle for top honors this spring figures to be heavily contested. Long-time handicappers of Keeneland have found things to be a bit more difficult to gauge as the long perceived speed bias that the track was known for disappeared along with the "golden rail" when Polytrack was introduced to the Central Kentucky track. However, it has become a widely accepted myth that horses on or near the pace no longer can win at Keeneland while in fact they have actually held the advantage at sprint distances at each of the last two meets. When the surface was first put in it tended to be a bit puffy, but now that it is established and more compacted, speed more than holds its own. Closers still hold a decided advantage at route distances, but to disregard speed all together is a mistake that far too many horseplayers make when playing Keeneland. As for the turf, it is the one constant at Keeneland. Horses closing from off the pace always hold a distinct advantage. Opening Day Outlook -- Friday, April 4 The opening day feature is the Transylvania S. (G3) for three-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. A field of nine is set to go to the gate and several among the field appear to have a chance so insist on value before wagering. BARRIER REEF (Mizzen Mast) will be making his first start since rallying from off the early pace to capture the Whirlaway S. at Aqueduct by a half-length. The gray posted a very impressive 103 BRIS Speed rating in that event against a solid if not exceptional field. Though this will be the colt's first try on the grass, he has a respectable pedigree for the surface and could very well find it to his liking. Toss in the fact that you get jockey Garrett Gomez at what should be a respectable price and there is a lot to like. PRUSSIAN (Danzig) is the speed of the field and is more than capable of stealing this one on or near the lead as he did in each of the first two starts of his career. The bay will be making his first start since finishing 10th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, but he has been working steadily for his return to the track and could be sitting on a big effort. FREE FIGHTER (Out Of Place) has three first-place finishes (disqualified once) to show from four starts on the lawn, including an impressive 4 1/4-length victory against allowance rivals at Fair Grounds last out. The chestnut has a solid late kick and should be mowing them down through the stretch drive. RILEY TRUCKER (Harlan's Holiday) will be making his first start on the grass, but he has a solid pedigree for the surface and Bill Mott as his trainer which automatically makes his a threat in this spot. BUDGE MAN (Fusaichi Pegasus) has been putting in some nice efforts on the Polytrack at Turfway, including an off-the-pace victory against allowance/optional claiming company last out. The gelding could surprise here if he handles the surface. BOSS LAFITTE (Dynaformer) has been putting in some nice efforts on the grass at Fair Grounds and missed by only a length last out in the Grindstone S. The dark bay stands a chance here with any improvement at all. SR. HENRY (Straight Man) seems to hit the board often but has won only once in his 11-race career. The gelding could get a piece with his best performance. LOVE EVERYBODY (Artax) and GROOM'S CAT (Magic Cat) round out the field and both appear to be in way too deep in this spot. The opening day forecast for Keeneland calls for showers with highs in the low 60s. Friday's Best Plays 1ST -- LINEOFBULL (Hesabull) could prove to be one tough customer in this low level claiming event. The six-year-old gelding has hit the board in each of his last six starts, which also includes three victories over the Polytrack at Turfway. The bay tops the field in BRIS Prime Power by more than six points and he also leads the way in BRIS Class rating. Though he may not be a huge price, Lineofbull appears to be a standout in this spot and a solid key for the early Daily Double. 5TH -- ROGUE SCHOLAR (Barkerville) will be looking for his fourth win in a row in this claiming event. The chestnut is exiting a solid effort at this level at Fair Grounds in which he stalked the pace early before digging in determinedly through the stretch drive to claim the victory by a head. The last victory that the gelding had before his current run started came right here at Keeneland over the Polytrack, as he rallied from 8 1/2 lengths off the early pace to claim the victory by a half-length.
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