Susan Moulton’s Andthewinneris, impressive winner of last fall’s Castle & Key Bourbon (G2) here, headlines a field of 12 3-year-olds entered Tuesday for Friday’s 35th running of the $400,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3).
The 1 1/16-mile grass test will go as the eighth race on the 10-race program that opens the 15-day Keeneland Spring Meet. First post is 1 p.m. ET with the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania scheduled to go off at 4:44 p.m.
Trained by Wayne Catalano, Andthewinneris opened 2023 with a victory in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile Stakes at Sam Houston and in his most recent start finished fourth after a troubled trip in the Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds.
“He got bumped pretty good coming out of the gate and then bumped again at the top of the stretch,” Catalano said of Andthewinneris in the Black Gold. “He’s doing great here, and we know he loves this course.”
Corey Lanerie has the mount on Andthewinneris and will exit post position three.
Also in the field is the Black Gold winner, Blue Diamond Stud Farm’s Wonderful Justice (GB). Trained by Brad Cox, Wonderful Justice is undefeated in two starts and will be ridden Friday by Florent Geroux and break from post position four.
Invading from Florida are the 1-2 finishers in Colonel Liam (L) at Gulfstream Park: Three Diamonds Farm’s Dude N Colorado (GB) and D. J. Stable’s Webslinger.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Dude N Colorado finished third in the Kitten’s Joy (G3) in his graded stakes debut prior to winning the Colonel Liam. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount and will break from post position 12.
Webslinger has compiled a 5-2-2-0 record on grass for trainer Mark Casse and features a victory in Monmouth’s Nownownow Stakes on his resume. Javier Castellano has the mount and will break from post position two.
Also coming from Florida is Madaket Stables, Little Red Feather Racing and William Strauss’ Nagirroc. Trained by Graham Motion, Nagirroc won the Futurity (G3) prior to finishing third here in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). Flavien Prat has the mount and will break from post position nine.
The field for the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Freedom Trail (Frankie Dettori, 118 pounds), Webslinger (Castellano, 118), Andthewinneris (Lanerie, 120), Wonderful Justice (GB) (Geroux, 118), Rarified Flair (Chris Landeros, 118), Mi Hermano Ramon (John Velazquez, 118), Mo Stash (Luis Saez, 118), Candidate (Joel Rosario, 118), Nagirroc (Prat, 118), Movisitor (Adam Beschizza, 118), Carl Spackler (IRE) (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Dude N Colorado (GB) (Ortiz Jr., 118).