LEXINGTON, Ky.— Breeze Easy and John Oxley’s Boppy O, winner of Saratoga’s With Anticipation (G3) on Aug. 31, headlines a field of 12 two-year-olds plus four also-eligibles entered Thursday for Sunday’s 32nd running of the $350,000 Castle & Key Bourbon (G2) for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland turf course.
Scheduled as the eighth race on Sunday’s 10-race program, the Castle & Key Bourbon is a “Win and You’re In” race for the 16th running of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) to be run here Nov. 4. Post time for the Castle & Key Bourbon is 5:10 p.m. ET with first post time at 1 p.m.
Trained by Mark Casse, Boppy O made his grass debut a successful one by winning the With Anticipation. Dylan Davis, who was aboard for that victory, has the mount Sunday and will break from post position six.
Two other stakes winners are in the field: Fergus Galvin, Marc Detampel and Magnolia Racing Syndicate’s Reckoning Force and Iapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing’s Gigante.
Now trained by Brendan Walsh, Reckoning Force won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile (L) on Sept. 14. Joel Rosario, who was aboard for that victory, has the mount Sunday and will break from post three.
Gigante, trained by Steve Asmussen, was a 6¾-length winner of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance’s Kitten’s Joy going 1 1/16 miles at Colonial Downs on Sept. 6. Vincent Cheminaud has the mount Sunday and will break from post nine.
The field for the Castle & Key Bourbon, with riders and weights from the rail out, is:
B Minor (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118 pounds), Panama (GB) (Luis Saez, 118), Reckoning Force (Rosario, 120), Deer District (Martin Garcia, 118), Rarified Flair (Corey Lanerie, 118), Boppy O (Davis, 122), Hendrickson (Mickaelle Michel, 118), Accident (Isaiah Wiseman, 118), Gigante (Cheminaud, 120), Really Good (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Our Dream Rye’d (Julien Leparoux, 118), Andthewinneris (Flavien Prat, 118). Also-Eligible: Mendel’s Secret (Gerardo Corrales, 118), General Jim (Luis Saez, 118), Zaici (David Cohen, 118), Oscar Award (Rey Gutierrez, 118).
Keeneland Press Release/Edited
Photo: Boppy O wins the G3 With Anticipation (Chelsea Durand)
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