The Day at the Races: Steinbrenner’s widow gets a win at Keeneland

Wednesday’s figures: Attendance, 9,928; on-track betting, $533,353.90; total betting including simulcast, $4,194,581.82.

This day last year: Attendance, 9,561; on-track betting, $665,142; total betting including simulcast, $4,308,537.

Coming up: Three days of racing remain in the Keeneland Fall Meet, with the final stakes race Saturday’s $200,000, Grade II Hagyard Fayette at 1 1/8 miles. Noble Bird, winner of the Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs this month, is the highweight.

FINAL FURLONG

▪  Keeneland fans love the “kitten horses” — offspring of the well known sire Kitten’s Joy — and Granny’s Kitten loves the Keeneland turf. The 4-year-old colt won for the second time on the grass at this track in the second race Wednesday. The colt also was winning for the fifth time on turf in 14 starts on that surface at all tracks. With Florent Geroux riding, Granny’s Kitten prevailed over some persistent pursuers. Only noses separated the top three who appeared to reach the finish in a line for this 1 1/8 -mile allowance.

▪  Geroux began the final week of this Fall Meet on a hot streak Wednesday, winning the second, third and fifth races.

▪  Remember the late George Steinbrenner, the caustic and controversial owner of the New York Yankees? His widow, Joan Steinbrenner, continues to operate his Kinsman Stable and won the third race Wednesday with Bellamy Torch. The 3-year-old daughter of Bellamy Road, trained by Bill Mott and saddled here by his son, Riley Mott, was winning her first career start in six attempts. She did not race last year.

▪  Where else but Keeneland would you find so many Kentucky Derby-winning trainers represented on a single afternoon? Derby trainers or their assistants who ran horses Wednesday were Carl Nafzger (Unbridled and Street Sense), Todd Pletcher (Super Saver), Wayne Lukas (Charismatic, Thunder Gulch, and Winning Colors), Michael Matz (Barbaro), Graham Motion (Animal Kingdom) and Neil Drysdale (Fusaichi Pegasus). Motion won the sixth with Party Boat ($7.40) and Nafzger the eighth with Makin’ Sense ($22.40).

▪  The eighth race ended in almost a mirror finish with the second race. Makin’ Sense, Moonlight Sky and Fitpitcher finished nearly in a line across the track at the wire, with a head and a nose separating those three.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 6:18 PM with the headline "The Day at the Races: Steinbrenner’s widow gets a win at Keeneland."