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KEENELAND DAILY NOTEBOOK FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2008 by Brian P. Turner A field of eight went to the gate for Friday's Transylvania S. (G3) for three-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles. Originally slated for the turf, the Transylvania was moved to the main track due to the heavy rains that saturated the Lexington, Kentucky, area. Prussian (Danzig) was sent to the gate as the favorite by the betting public despite the fact that he was making his first start since finishing 10th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last October. The bay had been extremely impressive in his two previous efforts though, including a win in the Summer S. (Can-G3) at Woodbine. When the gates sprang open, Prussian bounded out of the gate and onto the lead, guiding the field through slow opening fractions of :25 3/5 and :50 4/5 and looked to be well in hand as he came off the final turn. Despite the easy lead, however, the colt began to fade in the stretch drive and surrendered the advantage to BOSS LAFITTE (Dynaformer), who had been stalking the pace along the rail before moving up to take command. Boss Lafitte's race was far from over as Riley Tucker (Harlan's Holiday) finished well on the outside and appeared briefly as if he might spoil the longshot's day. Boss Lafitte dug in determinedly, though, and held on late to hit the finish line a half-length in front, paying a very solid $21.20 for the effort. Boss Lafitte invaded Keeneland from Fair Grounds where he was exiting a fourth-place finish in the Grindstone S. on the grass. That effort was extremely impressive as the dark bay was sitting 10 lengths behind the leaders at the top of the stretch before finishing with a rush late to miss by only a length. Riley Tucker put in a very nice effort to finish second in the Transylvania, crossing the wire two lengths clear of Budge Man (Fusaichi Pegasus) in third. Prussian finished a neck farther back in fourth. There were six sprints contested over the Polytrack Friday with horses on or near the pace winning three and closers winning three. With the two turf routes on the day being moved to the main track, there was a total of four routes contested with horses on or near the pace winning three of them. Robby Albarado booted home two winners on the day, including Boss Lafitte in the feature, to take the early lead in the jockey standings. Eight other jockeys, including Garrett Gomez and Kent Desormeaux, had one winner each. Ten separate trainers, including Steve Asmussen, Tom Amoss and Dallas Stewart, each saddled a winner on the day, which leaves a massive log jam atop the trainer standings. Horses to Watch 3RD - MERKEL (Forest Wildcat) had an extremely impressive career debut for Asmussen in the first two-year-old maiden special weight event for the meet. The chestnut took the lead out of the gate and never looked back on his way to an easy 3 1/2-length victory while stopping the clock for the 4 1/2 furlongs in :50 4/5. 6TH - HONEST PURSUIT (Storm Cat) was extremely impressive in this maiden special weight event where, for the first time in her past three races, she was not sent off as the favorite. The three-year-old filly pressed the pace early through pedestrian early fractions of :25 and :50 3/5 before taking command in the stretch drive and opening up on the field for an easy 6 1/2-length victory. Tomorrow's Outlook - Saturday, April 5 Saturday's card features the first Grade 1 stakes offering of the meet as a field of seven three-year-old fillies is set to contest the Ashland S. Run at 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack, the Ashland is always a prominent prep race for the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and any of the fillies among this field who decide to move on to Churchill must automatically command respect. Several members of this field appear to have a legitimate shot of making it to the winner's circle but the nod as top choice would have to go to BSHARPSONATA (Pulpit). Though the filly has never tried Polytrack before, she has shown the ability to run on both turf and dirt, and put in a respectable work here at Keeneland in her only trip over the surface. The bay has been to the winner's circle in six of her nine career starts, and has reeled off four wins in a row while showing the ability to both press the early pace as well as to close from off of it. Bsharpsonata's most recent success came in the Davona Dale S. (G2) where she overcame a troubled trip and rallied from off the pace to claim the victory by two lengths. COUNTRY STAR (Empire Maker) will be making her first start of the year but has put in some very solid works in preparation for her return to the track. The dark bay is a perfect two-for-two over all weather surfaces, including an impressive off-the-pace victory in the Alcibiades S. (G1) here last fall. If the filly is ready to roll after the layoff, she too stands a solid chance of claiming the victory. PROUD SPELL (Proud Citizen) has compiled a record of 6-4-2-0 over the course of her brief career, including a 2 1/4-length score last out in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2). The bay's two defeats both came at the hands of Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie) in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and Silverbulletday S. (G3), but she finally turned the tables on her rival last out in the aforementioned Oaks. LITTLE BELLE (A. P. Indy) will be making her first try against graded stakes competition after a couple of nice victories on the inner dirt at Aqueduct. In her latest effort, the bay pressed the pace early on her way to an easy 2 3/4-length victory in the Busher S., and she fits in well with this group with any improvement at all. AFRICAN VIOLET (Lemon Drop Kid) will be looking for her third win in a row, with her most recent victory coming against allowance-level competition at Gulfstream where she prevailed by a nose. That effort is a bit better than it initially looks on paper as the chestnut was forced to steady but dug in determinedly late to claim the victory. ABSOLUTELY CINDY (Arch) has a tendency to be a bit on the erratic side and relies heavily on a quick early pace to set up her late kick. The bay is exiting an impressive score in the John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway in which she rallied from 21 lengths off the early pace to claim the victory by 1 3/4 lengths. LIFE IS SWEET (Storm Cat) has two victories to her credit, with both coming on the grass. If she handles the switch to the Polytrack, the bay could have a say in the outcome of this event as well. Saturday's Best Plays 6TH - RONDO (Grand Slam) could be ready to add a win to his already solid career record of 7-3-3-0 if he returns from a nine month layoff ready to roll in this allowance/optional claiming event. The five-year-old horse has been working well for his return to the track, including a five-furlong clocking of 1:00 here on March 29. The bay has far and away the best BRIS Early Pace ratings of any member of this field and he also tops this group in both BRIS Prime Power and BRIS Class rating. 9TH - Bsharpsonata has done nothing wrong of late on either the turf or the dirt so there appears to be no reason she can't carry her form over to the Polytrack. The bay is near the top of the field in both BRIS Prime Power and BRIS Class rating while her best BRIS Speed ratings also label her as a contender.
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