Celtic Dispute outduels Skara Brae in Royal Palm Juvenile, earns Royal Ascot ticket

Trainer Wesley Ward hoped that Keeneland debut romper Skara Brae would become the first stakes winner by his past stable star, freshman sire Golden Pal, in Saturday’s $112,500 Royal Palm Juvenile at Gulfstream Park. But the 9-10 favorite was foiled by another filly, Celtic Dispute, who outdueled her to snatch a ticket to Royal Ascot.

The five-furlong turf dash was one of two Royal Ascot qualifiers on the card, along with the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies. Celtic Dispute and Skara Brae opted to take on boys in the open stakes, leaving the fillies’ version ripe for a 7.80-1 upset by Liberty Rings. 

Each race offered an automatic entry to one of Royal Ascot’s six stakes for juveniles, plus a $25,000 travel stipend. Celtic Dispute and Liberty Rings are both Florida-breds, setting the stage for a Sunshine State invasion of the prestigious festival. 

Royal Palm Juvenile

For the second straight year, a Leinster filly trained by Patrick Biancone booked her Royal Ascot passage. Last May, Lennilu won the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and went on to place third in the Queen Mary (G2) at the British festival. 

The well-named Celtic Dispute, a daughter of Leinster and the Bertrando mare Bert’s Altarcation, could be on the same path for Biancone. Unlike Lennilu, who won her debut at Keeneland, Celtic Dispute was coming off a second in her unveiling at Gulfstream. Like Lennilu, she successfully switched from dirt to turf to pass her first stakes test.

Campaigned by John Goldthorpe’s Dew Sweepers, who are always interested in Royal Ascot potential, Celtic Dispute went off as the logical alternative to Skara Brae. The 2.80-1 second choice tracked in a ground-saving second as Skara Brae sped to the front through an opening quarter in :21.28. 

Jockey Luis Saez angled Celtic Dispute out turning for home, and she accosted the leader at the top of the stretch. Although Skara Brae came out and bumped her, Celtic Dispute shrugged it off. The battle was joined through the half in :44.06, as the fillies left the colts behind. 

After a hammer-and-tong duel, Celtic Dispute just prevailed by a neck in :56.17. Her time was faster than the companion stakes won by Liberty Rings, who clocked :56.58.

“You don’t have to be a genius to know that Wesley is going to the front,” Biancone said of the race dynamics. “I said to Luis, ‘Don’t worry. If he wants to go, let him go, and we’ll catch him later.’”

Another 4 1/2 lengths astern in third came Braums Run, a first-time starter. Braums Run checked in a half-length to the good of fellow firster Omaha Forty, who did well to reach contention after totally missing the break. Next came Automatic Press, Cillian, Jost a Chance Yadi, and the ever-trailing Iolana. Blackjack was scratched.

Celtic Dispute has now earned $79,300 from her 2-1-1-0 record. Bred in Florida by K. Sheehan, M.F. Nicholson, M. Gauchat & McN Thoroughbreds, and Dr. J. Spies, she sold for $90,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling. Celtic Dispute is a half-sister to the multiple stakes-placed Vulcan, from the further family of Grade 2 winners Horse Greeley and Consumer Spending. 

Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies

Dew Sweepers and Saez appeared poised for a double in the fillies’ race with morning-line favorite Pot’s Right. Following key scratches, she became an even hotter favorite, hammered into odds of 1-2. But Pot’s Right settled for fourth behind the front-running Liberty Rings.

The David and Teresa Palmer colorbearer became the first stakes winner trained by their son, Nicholas Palmer.

“It’s a career-defining moment,” her trainer said. “We’ve been trying really hard to win a stakes, so this is a big deal for us.”

Liberty Rings was improving from a close, fast-finishing third in her April 19 premiere over Gulfstream’s main track. Regular rider Miguel Vasquez changed tactics here, sending the chestnut straight to the lead.

The daughter of Awesome Slew held sway through fractions of :21.78 and :44.50, and the array of closers could not make an impression down the lane. Drifting out despite right-handed urging, Liberty Rings maintained a 1 1/4-length margin at the wire.

A pair of Mark Casse debutantes took the minor placings, with Pros and Cons rallying to collar the early stalker Sass Sass by a neck. Pot’s Right was a one-paced fourth, followed by Joker’s Chic from the Ward barn and Mo Town Foxy Brown. 

The race cut up a bit in the wake of the scratches. Boots, who had beaten Royal Palm heroine Celtic Dispute on debut, was a notable absentee, as was George Weaver’s debutante, Easy Life. The Doug O’Neill-trained Dee Snook might not have gotten a lot of market support as a 10-1 shot on the morning line, but the Irish-bred had the profile to factor in her premiere.

Liberty Rings rewarded Palmer’s decision to give it a go. The $17.60 winner advanced her line to 2-1-0-1, $70,200. 

“She looks like a turf horse, big and scopey and a large foot,” Palmer said. “We figured it was worth a shot. We really don’t get a chance to run in races like this very often.”

Neither does a Royal Ascot opportunity come along every day, so the trainer hopes to persuade his parents to take the plunge. 

“I want to go,” Palmer said. “Hopefully I talk them into going.”

A $27,000 OBS October yearling, Liberty Rings was bred by Janet Erwin. The aptly-named filly is out of America First, an Uncaptured mare from the extended family of 2011 Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Nehro. Also on her page is current stakes vixen Crevalle d’Oro, second in the Jan. 24 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G2) over this same course.