Catching My Eye: Keeneland opening weekend

Leading into Breeders' Cup weekend, I’ll be keeping an eye on track trends as well as individual performances at Keeneland.

After a dry September in Lexington, the turf course is hard and playing fast. Proof is in the pudding as four stakes records were set on the turf course this weekend. On Saturday, it was the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile (Annapolis) and the Grade 2 Woodford (Golden Pal). On Sunday, the Bourbon S. (Andthewinneris) and Indian Summer S. (Private Creed). 

Speed carried across the turf course on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, we saw closing efforts rule the day.

In 18 dirt sprints, 11 winners have come on or within one length of the lead at first call.

Friday, Oct. 7

Wonder Wheel went two turns for the first time and barely held on for the frontrunning win in the Alcibiades (G1). What impressed me was how she took on four others who broke just as sharply, all vying for the lead. Not so impressive is this Into Mischief two-year-old saved ground throughout and ran on what I read as a good dirt rail on Friday. I won’t be looking to bet her next out. 

Instead, I want Chop Chop out of the Alcibiades. A slow start was costly for this two-year-old making her third start out of the Brad Cox barn. She brushed the gate and was in 11th early when she had been running near the lead in her first two. If she gets out cleanly, this City of Light filly is dangerous going forward.

Her huge strides made easy work of the 10 fillies in front of her as Joel Rosario guided her through traffic and finally wide, losing ground but picking off the foes one at a time and finishing second closing down the center of the track.

Saturday, Oct. 8

After a dull effort in July’s Sanford S. (G3) and a dominant win across the slop of the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1), there were reasons enough to wonder if Forte deserved a spot at the top of the two-year-old males division. The win in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) confirmed he is a talented and in-form juvenile, but he is not the horse I want out of the race.

Instead, I was more impressed by Loggins. Cox’s Ghostzapper colt showed what every white-knuckled horseplayer wants to see: He has the ability to take a bump, run in a tight spot, and fight back after being headed. Forte brought the race to the frontrunning Loggins in the stretch. After Forte took the lead, he gave Loggins a bump and leaned in, keeping things uncomfortable against the rail. The race appeared over, but Loggins battled on, getting his nose in front for a stride, only to be overtaken at the wire.

His next start will only be his third and after an education in Saturday’s Futurity, I’m excited to see what he does next.

The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) division just got more interesting with the addition of Slammed. The winner of the "Win and You’re In" Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) at Keeneland on Saturday put her gate speed on full display, breaking in the lead and to the rail from the 7 hole.

The other two fontrunners in the race seemed just as dangerous on paper and had two of the best gate-breaking, frontrunning jocks aboard in Reylu Gutierrez on Joyful Cadence and Johnny Velazquez on Happy Soul.

But Florent Geroux and his four-year-old filly put them behind her and never looked back, opening up to win by 6 1/2 lengths. Trainer Todd Fincher has her in fine form, barely getting beat out at Del Mar in the Rancho Bernardo (G3) in her last. Much like Echo Zulu, another frontrunning filly likely to run in the BC Filly & Mare Sprint, Slammed is tenacious and does her best running out of the gate, and always has the heart to see her run out to the wire.

And, how about that late kick from Saturday's Race 5 allowance winner Embrace? The lightly-raced three-year-old was in ninth at the stretch call in this seven-furlong sprint, but then posted a 12.1-second final furlong to win by a neck and pay 14-1. The son of Blame trained by Tom Drury validated his big pop in Brisnet Speed figures in his fourth-place finish at Churchill Downs on Sept. 22. We could see even more from Embrace against tougher, as this race had every look of a key race filled with 12 evenly-bet, formful foes.