Keeneland, Race 3 Sunday, October 20, 2024
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By The 2YO EdgeMan
KEE3:0102024 – Five and one-half furlongs on the Turf. The fillies take center stage and we’ve got a full slate of 16 that are entered, but of course, only 12 will start. Half of the field will be making their debut performance, two have started one time, two have been out twice, and two will be making their fourth attempt.
#1 – Star Blessing (10/1) – HOF Bill Mott (M = 2/13, 15.4%; FTS = 0/2) will secure the saddle on this Irish-bred filly by No Nay Never (ALL = 7/47, 14.9%; Turf = 4/40, 10.0%). Her unraced dam was also bred in Ireland and she’s by Galileo (BM = 10.9%). The final hammer price came in at $250K when this gal was a yearling (31/81). This runner will be making her first afternoon start and she’s worked a total of 13 times (57 furlongs), including four of her last eight at 5/8th of a mile and also one covered 6f. Her best was probably on 9/3/24, here at KEE, when she went a half-mile in 47 seconds flat from the gate to earn a bullet (1/13). Tyler will manage the reins.
#2 – Haut Les Coeurs (6/1) – Another firster, this filly is by Heart to Heart out of a Purge mare that was 0-for-1 on the track. She’s tossed five other foals of racing age and one was a winner as a juvenile in their 4th start. $42,000 was the winning bid on this gal last year when she was a yearling (1/4) – the second highest price yearling sold from this class was only $7,000. Louisville native, Brad Cox (M = 28.1%; FTS = 26.3%), has been prepping her with 14 drills (51 furlongs) with her most recent spin coming over the KEE surface. Two works back, she covered four panels in 47.8 seconds from the gate at Turfway Park (3/46). Brad will give his man, Florent, the leg up.
#7 – Lovely Emma (7/2 ML fav) – This pricey filly hails from Twirling Candy (ALL = 18.5%; Turf = 16.5%) and is out of a Mineshaft (BM = 11.2%) mare that was winless in two tries. $600K was what it took to secure her in a yearling sale last year (4/70). Trainer Peter Eurton (no starts over the previous five years here at KEE in the fall) has sent this gal out for two runs, both on the grass. She led til the stretch at five and a half furlong at ELP in her debut but got beat by ¼ length. Then she ran at KD in a 6 ½ furlong affair and also led til the head of the lane and finished 4th, one length shy of the winner. She’s had two drills since her last race and will be ridden for the second consecutive time today by Frankie Dettori.
#8 – Cheetah Lady (4/1) – This filly’s stallion is Quality Road (ALL = 16.4%; Turf = 14.3%) and her dam is by Uncle Mo (BM = 20.0%). Mama was victorious in two of her six starts, including a win on the turf in her debut at age two which she followed up that year with a win in a stakes event, also on the lawn. She has tossed one other foal of racing age – a 3YO gelding by Curlin who additionally won his first start on the grass at age two and he’s already banked $101K. Today’s filly sold for $210K as a yearling (32/43), then earlier this year in April she only brought $75,000 as a juvenile (6/8), and finally, she was sold in May, again as a two-year-old for $140K (4/8). This gal has made one prior start which came at Kentucky Downs. After getting a bump at the start, she pressed the pace but could not keep stride with the winner, settling for the runner-up spot, four lengths behind the winner. Since then she has put in three half-mile breezes. She’s trained by Whit Beckman who is one-for-two at this KEE Fall Meet over the previous five years. Jose will slip his boots into the irons.
Final Analysis – The #1 horse is interesting in that Tyler has only ridden five 2YOs for Bill Mott in MSW races since 2019 and he’s named to pilot this gal. However, my pick is #8 Cheetah Lady. Her daddy is pure class and her broodmare sire is one of the best there is. Mama won back-to-back starts on the lawn to kick off her career as a two-year-old and the only other foal of racing age that she tossed also won at first asking (also on the grass) while a juvey at age two. Hopefully, her debut was a learning lesson for her and I expect her to move forward today with Jose.
Keeneland runs through Saturday next week and then the babies move west down I-64 to Churchill. Sunday, 10/27/24, is the ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ card at CD and they have six (yes, count em, six) unrestricted 2YO MSW affairs carded for that day – plus a couple of Auction Restricted races, in addition to some Allowance and Stakes races. I’ll be putting in extra time next week for that day – it is something that you definitely do not want to miss.
