Rainbow Heir aiming to rise in Phoenix, punch ticket to BC Sprint

Rainbow Heir aiming to rise in Phoenix, punch ticket to BC

Sprint

"We didn't want to go quite that fast, but he's a fast horse," Perkins said.

Rainbow Heir has won seven of 11 races, including the 2013 Jersey Shore at

Monmouth, and has earned $315,210. He is coming off three consecutive wins at

Monmouth, including a 12 1/2-length victory over a sloppy track on September 6

in the six-furlong New Jersey Breeders Handicap.

Now the colt is a win away from competing in the $1.5 million

Breeders' Cup Sprint.

"That's one of the reasons we brought him here," Perkins said. "If you win,

you're in."

Perkins said Angel Serpa, who rode Rainbow Heir in his last three races,

would be aboard the colt for the Phoenix. Entries for the race will be taken

Tuesday.

In other Keeneland news:

"It has been a dream of mine after 45 years in the game to win a stake at

Keeneland," said Hendricks, who races Naval Command in partnership with Roger

Justice of Paris, Kentucky, and Pinnacle Racing Stable. "I always wanted to run

in a graded stake here, but only if we had a chance. I think she will make a

good showing."

Trained by Bill Kaplan, Naval Command has won three of her four starts and

enters the Alcibiades off a victory in the Happy Ticket over the turf at

Louisiana Downs on September 6.

"I think she is good on either surface, but I think she may be better on

dirt," Hendricks said of the daughter of Midshipman. "Bill is the one who makes

the decisions, but the Alcibiades was one of our goals when she started showing

what she could do."

In addition to Naval Command, Hendricks and Justice own East Hall and

Hendricks and Pinnacle are partners in Holiday Magic, the other two members of

the Kaplan-trained trio in the Keeneland stakes barn. East Hall is slated to run

in the Indiana Derby on Saturday and Holiday Magic is to start in the Indiana

Oaks.

"It is going to be a busy weekend for us," said Kaplan, who is flying from

Florida to Lexington Friday morning along with jockey Juan Leyva. "We will ship

the two horses up to Indiana the day of the race and then come back to Keeneland

and then on Sunday we are running six at Gulfstream."

Loooch Racing Stable and Christopher Dunn's Ria Antonia, winner of the 2013

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, worked a half-mile in :48 before the Monday

morning renovation break. Ria Antonia is nominated to Sunday's Grade 1

Spinster.

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