Racing

Santin, Smooth Like Strait Top Deep Field for $1 Million Coolmore Turf Mile on Opening Saturday of Keeneland Fall Meet

October 5, 2022

Three Grade 1 races to be run on 11-race card

Godolphin’s Santin and Cannon Thoroughbreds’ Smooth Like Strait, the 1-2 finishers in the Arlington Million (G1) at Churchill Downs in August, head a field of 12 plus four also-eligibles entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 37^th running of the $1 million Coolmore Turf Mile (G1).

In addition to the Coolmore Turf Mile, Saturday’s 11-race program will offer two other Grade 1 tests: the 25^th running of the $750,000 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare for fillies and mares going a mile on the turf and the 109^th running of the $600,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the main track

The Coolmore Turf Mile is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race that awards the winner a fees-paid berth into the 39^th running of the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) to be run here Nov. 5. Two Turf Mile winners have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile: Wise Dan in 2012 and Steinlen (GB) in 1989.

The Coolmore Turf Mile will go as the 10^th race on Saturday’s 11-race program with a 5:45 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, Santin is a two-time Grade 1 winner this year with his other Grade 1 triumph also coming at Churchill in the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic on Kentucky Derby Day, May 7. In his lone Keeneland start, Santin was an allowance winner last fall in his second career race. Tyler Gaffalione will ride Saturday and exit post position seven.

Smooth Like Strait, who has finished in the top three in all eight of his starts in Grade 1 stakes, is trained by Michael McCarthy. In his lone Keeneland race, Smooth Like Strait finished third this spring beaten a nose and a neck in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1). John Velazquez has the mount Saturday and will break from post position two.

In addition to Santin and Smooth Like Strait, four other Grade 1 winners are in the field: Classic Causeway (2022 Belmont Derby), Order of Australia (IRE) (2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile), Ivar (BRZ) (2020 Shadwell Turf Mile) and Casa Creed (2022 Fourstardave and 2021-2022 Jaipur).

The field for the Coolmore Turf Mile, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Classic Causeway (Julien Leparoux, 123 pounds), Smooth Like Strait (Velazquez, 126), Order of Australia (IRE) (Christophe Soumillon, 126), Gray’s Fable (Brian Hernandez Jr., 126), Masen (GB) (Flavien Prat, 126), Ivar (BRZ) (Joe Talamo, 126), Santin (Gaffalione, 126), Annapolis (Irad Ortiz Jr., 123), Casa Creed (Luis Saez, 126), Somelikeithotbrown (Jose Ortiz, 126), Emaraaty (GB) (Florent Geroux, 126), Set Piece (GB) (Joel Rosario, 126). Also-Eligibles: Atone (Ricardo Santana Jr., 126), Dark Shift (GB) (Vincent Cheminaud, 126), Natural Power (IRE) (Adam Beschizza, 126), Greyes Creek (Gerardo Corrales, 126).

Regal Glory Leads Trio for Trainer Chad Brown in First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare

Peter Brant’s Regal Glory, a three-time Grade 1 winner that includes a triumph in this spring’s Jenny Wiley here, headlines a field of six fillies and mares entered Wednesday for the $750,000 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare to be run over a mile on the Keeneland turf course.

The First Lady will go as the eighth race Saturday afternoon with a 4:42 p.m. post time.

Regal Glory is one of three entrants for trainer Chad Brown, who has saddled the First Lady winner the past four years and five times overall. Regal Glory was second in last year’s First Lady to stablemate Blowout (GB). Regular rider Jose Ortiz has the mount Saturday and will break from post position five.

Two horses have won the Jenny Wiley and the First Lady in the same year: Never Retreat in 2011 and Intercontinental (GB) in 2005. Intercontinental is one of three winners of the First Lady who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) a few weeks later. The others are Forever Together in 2008 and Dayatthespa, also trained by Brown, in 2014.

Regal Glory has won three of four starts this year with the lone blemish on the record coming with a second-place finish against males in the Fourstardave (G1) in her most recent start.

Brown’s other entrants are In Italian (GB), winner of the Diana (G1) for Brant, and multiple graded stakes winner Technical Analysis (IRE) for Klaravich Stables. Joel Rosario has the mount on In Italian and will break from post four, while Flavien Prat will ride Technical Analysis from post position three.

The field for the First Lady, with riders from the rail out, is: Vigilantes Way (Paco Lopez), Princess Grace (Florent Geroux), Technical Analysis (IRE) (Prat), In Italian (GB) (Rosario), Regal Glory (Jose Ortiz), Market Rumor (Chris Landeros). All starters will carry 124 pounds.

Hopeful Winner Forte Tops Field for Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Forte, winner of the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga in his most recent start, heads a field of 14 2-year-olds plus two also-eligibles entered Wednesday for the $600,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity going 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Scheduled as Saturday afternoon’s ninth race with a 5:14 ET post time, the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity is a “Win and You’re In” race for the 39^th running of the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to be run here Nov. 4.

Five winners of the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity have won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with the most recent being Essential Quality in 2020.

A winner of two of three starts, Forte is trained by Todd Pletcher, a two-time winner of the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount Saturday and will break from post position seven.

Pletcher has one other entrant in the race: Harrell Ventures’ Lost Ark. A half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Nest, Lost Ark is unbeaten in two starts and won the Sapling at Monmouth in his most recent start. Flavien Prat has the mount and will break from post 10.

The field for the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, with riders from the rail out, is: Frosted Departure (Brian Hernandez Jr.), Loggins (Florent Geroux), Honed (Julien Leparoux), Confidence Game (James Graham), Instant Coffee (Luis Saez), Bourbon Bash (Rafael Bejarano), Forte (Ortiz Jr.), Newgate (John Velazquez), Funtastic Again (Joel Rosario), Lost Ark (Prat), Red Route One (Ricardo Santana Jr.), Good Heart (Tyler Gaffalione), Two Phil’s (Jareth Loveberry), Powerful (Jose Ortiz). Also-Eligible: Carmel Road (Luis Saez), Jin Tong (Paco Lopez). All starters will carry 122 pounds.