Which horses won the richest races to start the Spring Meet at Keeneland?
The opening days of the 2025 Spring Meet at Keeneland feature some of the richest races that the Lexington track has to offer.
Of course, the headlining event of the Spring Meet will always be the annual Blue Grass Stakes, one of the top qualifying races for the Kentucky Derby.
But the Blue Grass aside, plenty of high-level, and well-paying, horse racing occurs every April at Keeneland as the Spring Meet begins.
This is the case again in 2025, despite the start of the Spring Meet being delayed by two days due to severe weather and heavy rainfall that has ravaged Kentucky.
Of the 19 stakes races that Keeneland will host during the Spring Meet, 10 were run on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the opening three days of the Spring Meet.
Of course, the richest of these stakes races was Tuesday’s 101st running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, which was won by Burnham Square and featured a number of future Kentucky Derby runners.
But what about the other nine stakes races that took place over the opening days of this year’s Keeneland Spring Meet?
Here’s what went down at the Lexington track in those big-money stakes races.
La Cara dominates Ashland to become a favorite in the Kentucky Oaks
The Grade 1, $750,000 Central Bank Ashland — the final prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks — was won by La Cara, a Mark Casse trainee who topped an impressive field of eight fillies by 1 1/4 lengths in a front-running effort on Monday evening.
La Cara’s victory in the 88th running of the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Oaks qualifier means that she now has the second-most qualifying points for the Oaks, which will be run May 2 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Ridden by Dylan Davis, La Cara already has a win at Churchill Downs under her belt: She won the Grade 3 Pocahontas last September in Louisville. The Pocahontas was actually the first qualifying race for the Oaks.
A winner in four of her last six starts, La Cara claimed the Ashland in a victorious time of 1:45.10 on a fast main track. The Keeneland main track was upgraded from muddy to fast on Monday afternoon, prior to both of the stakes races on the dirt.
La Cara, who is a daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, is now a three-time stakes winner.
“It sets up perfect. She’s now at three starts off the layoff, so she should be perfect,” Casse said of the upcoming Kentucky Oaks. “She loves Churchill, and we’ll be OK to come back a little quicker. So I’m good.”
La Cara — who delivered the jockey Davis his first career Keeneland stakes victory — will be looking to become the 15th filly to win both the Ashland and the Kentucky Oaks. The most recent filly to accomplish this double was Todd Pletcher’s Malathaat in 2021.
Three fillies who ran in the Ashland are now projected to make the starting gate for the 151st edition of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks.
If their connections want, both Take Charge Milady and Muhimma are eligible to join La Cara in the 14-horse Oaks field.
Take Charge Milady — trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., the duo that combined to win last year’s Kentucky Oaks with 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna — ran second in the Ashland, with Brad Cox-trainee Muhimma in third.
“She showed (what) it takes to get into the Oaks. The mile and an eighth won’t be an issue for her, so we’re excited for her run in three weeks,” Hernandez said of Take Charge Milady, whose only wins have come at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.
“This wasn’t the result we were looking for. She got a good trip, but had no answer for the winner turning for home,” said Cox about Muhimma.
After Monday’s Ashland, Cox didn’t commit to Muhimma running in the Oaks.
The 14 horses who are currently in position to take part in the Kentucky Oaks are:
Quietside, La Cara, Good Cheer, Five G, Ballerina d’Oro, Tenma, Early On, Take Charge Milady, Simply Joking, Bless the Broken, Drexel Hill, Muhimma, Fondly and Ahavah.
Four horses — Muhimma, Fondly, Ahavah and Anna’s Promise — all have 50 qualifying points toward the Oaks. The tiebreaker of earnings in non-restricted stakes races has Muhimma, Fondly and Ahavah in the projected Oaks field, with Anna’s Promise stuck on the outside looking in.
Test Score aces the Grade 3, $600,000 Transylvania
Test Score aced the assignment in Monday’s 37th running of the Grade 3, $600,000 Transylvania, winning the first race held on the turf during this year’s Spring Meet at Keeneland. All of Sunday’s turf races were moved to the main dirt track, as were all of Monday’s turf races, aside from the Transylvania.
Test Score — who went off at 9-1 odds — is trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Manny Franco. He scored his win in the Transylvania by 1 1/4 lengths.
The win by Test Score was Franco’s second straight stakes triumph at Keeneland on Monday. He also won the first stakes race of the day, the Lafayette. (More on that below).
“He broke so good and put me right into the race,” Franco said of Test Score’s trip. “He was traveling really well in the beginning of the race. He handled the ground really well, too. I was happy where I was, and when he was feeling the horses coming, he just gave me another gear. He was competitive in the race and got it done.”
Test Score traveled 1 1/16 miles over a Keeneland turf course rated as good in 1:43.84.
This was Motion’s second Transylvania win as a trainer. He also won the race with Sy Dog in 2022.
Colloquial captures 77th running of the $400,000 Lafayette
Colloquial — trained by George Weaver and also ridden by Franco — won the 77th running of the Listed, $400,000 Lafayette, which was the first stakes race of Monday’s card at Keeneland.
Monday’s 10-race card at Keeneland was originally supposed to be run Friday as opening day at the Lexington track, before the two-day racing postponement due to severe weather.
Colloquial, who was making his stakes debut Monday, won by 2 1/4 lengths from a field of five 3-year-olds who went 7 furlongs on a fast main track.
Colloquial — who is a son of 2019 Blue Grass Stakes winner Vekoma — won in 1:23.92.
“My horse was the best horse in the race. He broke so good,” Franco said of Colloquial’s performance. “I didn’t take anything away from him. I just let him roll out of there and see what the guys outside me wanted to do. Nobody cleared me, so I held my position and after that he took me all the way to the wire.”
Verity powers through the slop to win Grade 2 Beaumont
The top race run on Sunday, which served as opening day for the Spring Meet, was the Grade 2, $400,000 MiddleGround Capital Beaumont, which was won by Verity.
Trained by Eoin Harty and ridden by Vincent Cheminaud, Verity emerged as the winner from a small field of five 3-year-old fillies by traveling the Beard Course (7 furlongs and 184 feet) on a sloppy main track in 1:27.18.
Verity scored her win by 5 1/4 lengths in the 40th running of the Beaumont. Verity is a daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist.
This was the first Keeneland stakes win for Cheminaud, who is from France.
“I was confident about the distance and the track, to be honest,” Cheminaud said after the win. “She’s a nice filly. I’d won twice with her and she was good every time. I was very confident. She broke better than I thought from the gate. ... She gave me a good effort.”
Trainer Brad Cox — who had saddled the last three winners of the Beaumont — had the second-place runner with Stunner.
Normandy Coast wins Palisades to begin Spring Meet stakes at Keeneland
As a result of Keeneland’s two-day postponement due to severe weather, the first stakes race of the 2025 Spring Meet was the $300,000 Palisades, which took place Sunday and was moved from its normal spot on the turf to a sloppy main track.
Normandy Coast — trained by Eddie Kenneally and ridden by Ben Curtis — captured the 5 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-olds by 3 1/2 lengths.
With a winning time of 1:04.35, Normandy Coast delivered a first Keeneland stakes win for Curtis.
“It’s brilliant. I’ve only ever been here once, for one day, so to start the meet out like this, and also for Eddie as well,” Curtis said. “I’ve known Eddie for years. It’s great that he’s put me up on a lot of horses and I’ve had a good few winners, but I think this is the biggest of them, so yeah, absolutely fantastic.”
Normandy Coast — who is a son of 2019 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile runner up Omaha Beach — now has three victories in five career dirt races.
Nitrogen ices the field in the 37th Appalachian
Nitrogen claimed the first stakes race of Tuesday’s postponed Blue Grass Stakes card, winning the 37th running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Appalachian on 8 furlongs of good turf.
The 3-year-old, ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Mark Casse, secured the win by 2 1/4 lengths, comfortably beating second-place Vixen — also trained by Casse — and third-place Fionn.
“Very easy to get her in full stride down the lane,” Ortiz said. “When I asked her to go, I kept her on the outside and then little by little she got into that stride.”
Per Casse, Nitrogen will next run in the Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs on May 2, which is Kentucky Oaks Day at the Louisville track.
“She’s really good. I just kind of come along for the ride,” Casse said. “She’s an amazing filly. I think she’s getting better and better, so we’re going to keep our fingers crossed and hope she stays healthy. She’s got a bright, bright future.”
Extra Anejo rises to the top in the Grade 3 Commonwealth
Extra Anejo started strong and finished clean to take the Grade 3, $350,000, Commonwealth on Tuesday.
Ridden by Flavien Prat and trained by Steven Asmussen, Extra Anejo secured the win by 1 1/2 lengths. Montalcino finished second, while Hoist the Gold took third.
“The trip was good,” Prat said. “He jumped well (from the starting gate). It seemed like there was a quite a bit of pace in front of us, so I decided to save ground and give him a chance and he made a good run down the lane.”
Per Scott Blasi, Asmussen’s assistant, the $1 million, Grade 1 Churchill Downs on May 3 — which is Kentucky Derby Day — remains a possibility for Extra Anejo. Blasi also noted that he thinks Extra Anejo will continue competing in “one-turn sprint races.”
“He’s always had a tremendous amount of talent,” Blasi said. “You can tell that by the races we’ve run him in. We’ve always believed in him and I’m glad Mr. (Ron) Winchell (of owner Winchell Thoroughbreds) kept him in training another year. I still think he has some big things ahead of him.”
Extra Anejo emerged victorious after the field was forced to reload due to a horse acting up in the gate. Whatchatalkinabout was a late scratch from the race.
Positano Sunset rides away in the Grade 1, Resolute Racing Madison
Positano Sunset and jockey Julien Leparoux achieved a 14-1 upset victory in the 24th running of the Grade 1, $650,000 Resolute Racing Madison, on 7 furlongs across a fast main track.
“She dug in a lot (in the last quarter-mile),” Leparoux said. “We expected the two horses (Emery and Mystic Lake) to go to the front, so I was hoping to save ground and then get out. There was a little hole, and she went in there and fought back. She loves this track. She’s a nice filly. Very happy for all the connections for the win.”
Positano Sunset, trained by Ian Wilkes, edged second-place Emery, the favorite, by 1 length. My Mane Squeeze took third.
Emery’s trainer, Brad Cox, said he was pleased with Emery, despite falling short in the end.
“Love her effort and her performance,” Cox said. “Proud of her. I feel like we won the battle but lost the war. Obviously, we’re up close and fended off some other speed and pressure. She dug in late to be second. She’s all class, very proud of her. I think there’s a Grade 1 with her name on it.”
Think Big ekes out a win in the Grade 2 Shakertown
Think Big, ridden by Ben Curtis and trained by Michael Stidham, bested second-place Rogue Lightning, third-place Eamonn and the favorite Arzak, who finished seventh, in the Grade 2, $400,000 Valvoline Global Shakertown on Tuesday.
Think Big defeated Rogue Lightning by 1 1/2 lengths to take the race, which was run on 5 1/2 furlongs of a good turf surface.
Since first riding Think Big at the end of July 2024, Curtis has built a strong rapport with the horse. That chemistry, according to Curtis, allows the two of them to progress with each run.
“I got back on him at Fair Grounds (to win an allowance Dec. 7),” Curtis said. “We shortened him up and put him on the turf (in that race), and he seemed to grow a fifth leg; he really improved with that. Every run he’s had, he’s improved, and he’s done it in a different style. He came from last and rounded the field last time (to win an allowance at Fair Grounds on Feb. 7), and today he sat off near the pace and ground it out to the line. So he’s versatile ground-wise, also surface-wise, so he’s just a dream horse to have, really.”
The Shakertown marked Curtis’ third victory of Keeneland’s opening weekend, following wins in the $300,000 Palisades on Sunday and in an undercard race Tuesday.
“It’s unbelievable,” Curtis said. “I have to pinch myself, really, because last year we were a bit scared to come here and we gave it a miss — just the competitive nature of the place. I hate sitting in the (jockeys’) room, so we put a lot of work down last year, all building up to this meet. To see it all now coming to fruition is just fantastic..”
Mike Trombetta, trainer of the beaten favorite Arzak, said his horse’s performance in the Shakertown was unlike what he’s grown to expect from the horse.
“He’s a lovely horse,” Trombotta said. “I just question whether or not he would handle the course as good as he should have. I get the feeling after watching the race that he didn’t have the same kick that he normally has. (Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.) said he couldn’t get off the rail inside in the stretch; he wanted to get out a little sooner. He usually closes up with good run.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
