Keeneland, Race 9 – Thursday, October 19, 2023
By 2YO EdgeMan
KEE9:101923 – Five and a half furlongs on the turf. Sixteen fillies jammed the entry box, so twelve will compete and four will have to wait and hope from the Also Eligible list. We’ve got five firsters in this event, three that has raced once, two that have been out twice, one that has battled three times and one that already has four races under her belt. Let’s look closely at five of these gals…
#1 – Charm of the Song (4/1) – Red hot Ian Wilkes will saddle this filly who is a daughter of Midshipman and an unraced Into Mischief mare. She’s a homebred from Robert Donaldson who has been out in the afternoon one time. That was at Kentucky Downs in early September, but she didn’t do much running that day on the lawn. However, since that race, she has worked a half mile four times at Churchill Downs – the most recent on 10/13/23 she went in 48.4 seconds (13/77).
#4 – Wonder Wave (5/2) – The Morning Line fav was bred in Ireland by U S Navy Flag and is out of an unraced Irish bred mare. This filly sold well overseas as a yearling for $95,929 last year (8/70). She has competed twice, both times over the grass and both at Ellis Park – she finished in the money in each of those two events. The filly who beat her in her debut – She Feels Pretty – actually went on to score in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes up at Woodbine on 9/16/23 and posted an amazing 96 Equibase Speed Figure. Mya’s Halo – the other horse that beat Wonder Wave in her first try – also went on to win in her next outing, as she scored at off odds of 2/5 in a MSW event on the grass in August at ELP with an 82 EBSF. Since her last run, conditioner Brian Lynch has worked her four times (18 total furlongs) – the first two at ELP and the most recent two at KEE.
#7 – Copperdrop (10/1) – Steve Asmussen sends out this debutant for her first ever race. First-Crop Sire – Darby Dan’s Copper Bullet – is her sire and her dam is by Tapit. Mom’s record on the track was 2 for 10 with $98,000 earned, including a victory as a First-Time Starter back in May of her two-year-old campaign at CD when she posted a blazing 89 EBSF. Today’s runner is a Winchell homebred and has two half brothers that also scored at first asking. One of those is the fine 3YO – Echo Again – who won his first time out last year at Saratoga, posting an 86 EBSF. He’s gone on to win one more race (from six total starts) and $173K in purse money. Copperdrop’s work tab shows eight total works and also that she’s been moving around quite a bit as she started at Keeneland, vanned to Churchill for one effort, then on to Ellis Park for four, before going back to CD for two final tune ups. Her best was probably at ELP on 9/23/23 when she traveled a half mile in 48 seconds flat to earn a bullet (1/49).
#9 – Joke Master (12/1) – Practical Joke is the proud papa to this filly who comes by way of a mare by Speightstown who was 3 for 18 with prize money totaling $116K. Today’s filly was sold earlier this year as a 2YO and brought $150K (10/37). She is one of the more experienced gals in this field having been out three times prior to today. She started her career in July over at Ellis Park on their dirt and didn’t do much running. She stayed at ELP for her second race, but trainer Mike Maker moved her over to the turf at today’s 5 ½ furlong distance. At off odds of 5/1, she improved as she did some moving late to finish fourth of nine, beaten by 5+ lengths. Her most recent was at Kentucky Downs on their lawn where she actually made the lead early in the one mile event, but faded badly to come 10th of 11. Mike sent her to Louisville for a half mile work at Churchill Downs’ Training Track and then on to Keeneland for two more four furlong tighteners. Tyler will be her pilot today.
#10 – Cloudwalker (8/1) – This filly will be making her first start and she’s being prepped by Brendan Walsh. The late, great More Than Ready is this gal’s sire and her dam – by Tale of Ekati – only won two races from the 14 that she started and only brought home $49,000. She’s thrown one other runner of racing age – a filly who is 1 for 8 with winnings of a paltry $15,000. This gal has eight morning works under her to prepare for her first outing today – her first three were at Churchill and then five more on the All-Weather strip at Turfway Park. Her last – on 10/13/23 – from the gate was probably her best, going a half mile in 47.8 seconds (3/23).
Pick – #7 Copperdrop – #4 – The M/L fav – is a deserving favorite, but I’m trying to beat the chalk. This filly – trained by Steve – is interesting to me. I’m a big fan of Winchell and they are 20 of 85 (23.5%) with 2YO FTS over the prior five years (2018 thru 2022). And I’m certainly not comparing this filly to him, but you’ll remember that they debuted Extra Anejo here last fall. Today’s filly’s work tab is not blazing, but as you know, Asmussen usually holds a lot up his sleeve. He did work this one with a well-bred, unraced Curlin filly – Pun Intended – two breezes back. Finally, I keep coming back to the fact that both her mom and two of her half bros won their first times out, so this one may certainly be quite precocious. And 10/1 M/L? Let’s take a shot!
Keep up the energy and get psyched for another two-year-old MSW race tomorrow at Keeneland. The hits just keep on a-comin! Enjoy, be safe and best of luck, my Edgie Partners.
