Spectacular weather met spectacular racing last weekend at Keeneland Race Course as spring really found its stride in the Bluegrass.
All the action on the racetrack was met with plenty of conversation in the stands, paddock and on the farm. Tepin romped, Miss Temple City beat the boys, the Oklahoma Training Track opened for the season nearly a week ago and Oaklawn Park wrapped its winter-spring meeting with a strong Racing Festival of the South and Arkansas Derby. Like we said, lots of action.
Enjoy this week’s Here & There, partial Keeneland edition, for Friday, April 22.
Worth Repeating
“This is why we do what we do.” – John Holbrook watching yearlings play in a paddock at Hurstland Farm
“First time I’ve ridden that jockey. He made a good impression, just left some room for improvement.” – Owner Ken Ramsey after Flavian Pratt rode his Wayward Kitten to runner-up finish in allowance race last Saturday
“Man it’s tough getting around out there.” – Keeneland’s Mike Battaglia on the 38,000-plus crowd last Saturday
“You’ve got the best job in America.” – Castleton Lyons’ Stuart Fitzgibbon to TIHR’s Tom Law
Keeneland’s Bill Thomason: “We have a nice trophy presenter today, John Elway.”
Stonestreet’s Barbara Banke: “What’s he going to do, pass the trophy to the winner?”
“Even I could train that one.” – Ian Wilkes to David Carroll after Tepin romped in Grade 1 Jenny Wiley
Ken Ramsey: “Two seconds today.”
Tracey Wilkes: “Better than two thirds.”
“He wants more pay if he has to answer more questions like that.” – Doug O’Neill after Nyquist’s exercise rider Jonny Garcia struggled a bit with a reporter’s question
“You’ll never complain when you’re running seconds in Group 1s but it’s nice to win one of these.” – Brian Lynch, second with Heart To Heart in the Maker’s 46 Mile, after winning the Grade 3 Adena Springs Beaumont with Lightstream
“Maybe; it’s the only way I can get a hall pass.” – California-based trainer on whether he’d be back to the East Coast with a runner anytime soon
“Do not forget. This Friday is opening day. It is a ritual for you to be there opening day and closing day at the training track for the beginning of the Saratoga season. See you Friday.” – Email from NYRA clocker Dave Lynett to TIHR’s Tom Law, who broke tradition and missed the start of offseason training at the Oklahoma April 15
“Another second. That’s eight. … Sunday I’m going to do the entries myself, so you might see a lot of droppers.” – Ramsey, after Smarty Kitten finished second in Thursday’s finale, his eighth runner-up of the meet to that point
By the Numbers
$112.60: Payoff of Free Rose in the ninth race Thursday at Keeneland, the largest of the meet.
38,863: Attendance last Saturday at Keeneland, third largest of any non-Breeders’ Cup Day in track history.
$1,200,000: Price paid by Breeze Easy LLC for a colt by Broken Vow out of Haddie Be Good, by Silver Deputy at OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale Thursday.
