Raging Bull fights back to win Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland
After running 10th in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile last time out, Nov. 7 at Keeneland, Raging Bull redeemed himself over the same surface at the same track on Friday, winning the Grade 1, $300,000 Maker’s Mark Mile on his third try.
Trained by Chad Brown, Raging Bull ran third in last year’s Maker’s Mark Mile after finishing fourth in the 2019 running. The son of Dark Angel had finished second in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last October before his disappointing effort in the Breeders’ Cup.
Owned by Peter M. Brant and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Raging Bull paid $9.00, $4.20 and $3.40 for his third Grade 1 win on Friday. Ride a Comet finished second for trainer Mark Casse and paid $8.40 and 4$4.80. Sacred Life finished third for Brown. He paid $3.60.
Proxy the favorite for Lexington Stakes
Trained by Michael Stidham, Proxy is the 6-5 Morning Line favorite for Saturday’s Stonestreet Lexington Stakes, one of the last two races to award qualifying points for this year’s Kentucky Derby.
Proxy finished second in the Grade 3 Lecomte on Jan. 16, second in the Grade 2 Risen Star and fourth in the Louisiana Derby on March 20. All three races are run at the Fair Grounds. He’ll be ridden by John Velazquez on Saturday at Keeneland.
Swiftsure is second choice at 5-1. The son of Uncle Mo is trained by Steve Asmussen. Starrininmydreams is third choice at 6-1 for trainer Dallas Stewart. Hockey Dad is at 8-1 for trainer Doug O’Neill. He is the son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and owned by Reddam Racing. O’Neill and Reddam were the connections for Nyquist.
Proxy is currently 20th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Hockey Dad is 25th. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters. The Lexington Stakes offers 20-8-4-2 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. Post time is 5:30 p.m.
Saturday’s other Kentucky Derby prep is the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn. Concert Tour, trained by Bob Baffert, is the even-money favorite in the field of six. The Arkansas Derby post time is set for 7:41 p.m. The Grade 1 race awards 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Coolmore Jenny Wiley
Micheline is the 2-1 Morning Line favorite for the Grade 1, $300,000 race for fillies and mares 4 years old and upward on Saturday. But trainer Michael Stidham has plenty of stiff competition with Tamahere (5-2), Etoile (3-1) and Juliet Foxtrot (7-2).
Micheline won the Grade 2 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay on March 6 in her only 2021 start. Trained by Chad Brown, Tamahere is making her first start this year. Brown also trains Etoile, who is also making her first 2021 start. And Juliet Foxtrot, trained by Brad Cox, is also yet to race this year.
Limestone Turf Sprint
It was a bounce-back performance for Tobys Heart, who looked so impressive in two 2021 wins before finishing sixth in her 2021 debut on Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Brian Lynch had said earlier in the week that Tobys Heart “is ready to roll this time” and roll she did.
“Am I surprised she won? Not really,” Lynch said Friday. “Am I grateful? Very much. We got Gary (Barber) involved (as a co-owner) with this filly, which is great because I think she’s got a big future. We got her back doing what she likes to do and hopefully the rest of the year is a good one for her.”
Campanelle, the 8-5 Morning Line favorite trained by Wesley Ward, scratched.
First Keeneland start
Ferrin Peterson, a 29-year-old licensed veterinarian who began riding in 2018, made her first Keeneland start Friday, finishing second above Bernadette the Jet in the day’s fourth race, a maiden claiming race.
Peterson rode 50 winners last summer and fall at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. She had not ridden since March 21 after Laurel Park in Maryland shut down because of the equine herpesvirus. She came to Keeneland to gallop for trainer Graham Motion, who gave her the mount on Bernadette the Jet, owned by Alex G. Campbell Jr.
Motion won Friday’s second race with White Winged Dove, with Junior Alvarado aboard. It was Alvarado’s first mount of the Keeneland Spring Meet. The 34-year-old jockey has been riding in New York.
Spring Meet stats
Jockey Luis Saez won his 13th race of the meet when Predetermined took the first race. Seaz rode expected Kentucky Derby favorite Essential Quality to a win in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes last Saturday.
Joel Rosario improved his win total to nine aboard Absam in the third race. Rosario won seven races over the first two days of the meet, including the Central Bank Ashland Stakes aboard Malathaat last Saturday.
Rosario is tied with Jerry Bailey (1999) and Javier Castellano (2016) for most stakes win in a Keeneland Spring Meet with six.
Todd Pletcher won his seventh race of the Spring Meet when Spice Is Nice capture the Morgan’s Ford on Friday. He is one winner ahead of Wesley Ward.
Trainer Ben Colebrook won his fourth race this meet when Predetermined took Keeneland’s first race on Friday. Owned by Donamire Farm, Predetermined was making her first career start.
