(Carl Spackler / All Photos by Coady Media)

From the Keeneland Media Team / Amy Owens:

Due to severe weather and significant rainfall in Central Kentucky, Keeneland has rescheduled the opening race days of its 15-day Spring Meet.

The race card originally scheduled for Friday, April 4 – which includes the $750,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) – will take place Monday. The Saturday, April 5 race card – which features the $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) – has been rescheduled to Tuesday.

Sunday, April 6, now will serve as opening day of the Spring Meet.

For information and updates, click here.

*************************

First post during the Spring Meet is 1 p.m. ET except for the April 25 closing day,
when the first race is at 12:30 p.m. to accommodate
the Keeneland April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale after the races.

Click here for Keeneland’s 2025 Media Guide.

Click here for the Spring Meet stakes schedule, which includes links to the lists
of horses nominated to stakes and their past performances.

*************************

  • CARL SPACKLER (IRE) TO MAKE 2025 DEBUT IN MAKER’S MARK MILE
  • KILWIN, ABIENTOT TOP OVERFLOW FIELD FOR FANDUEL LIMESTONE 
  • PROSPECTIVE FIELDS FOR UPCOMING STAKES

****************************

CARL SPACKLER (IRE) TO MAKE 2025 DEBUT IN MAKER’S MARK MILE

Winner of last fall’s Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland, E Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ Carl Spackler (IRE) headlines a field of nine entered Friday for the 37th running of the $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) for 4-year-olds and up on the grass.

The Maker’s Mark Mile will go as the ninth race on the 10-race program on Friday, April 11 with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Chad Brown, Carl Spackler will be making his 2025 debut in the Maker’s Mark Mile. In his last race, Carl Spackler was sixth in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) Presented by PDJF at Del Mar.

Carl Spackler has seven wins, including five graded stakes, in 11 starts with earnings of $1,608,475. With a victory next week, he would join Wise Dan (2012-2013) and Perfect Soul (IRE) (2003-2004) as the only horses to win the Turf Mile and come back the following spring to win the Maker’s Mark Mile.

Brown saddled Raging Bull (FR) to win the 2021 Maker’s Mark Mile.

Flavien Prat, who won the 2023 Maker’s Mark Mile on Chez Pierre (FR), has the mount from post 6.

Amerman Racing Stable’s Trikari is the other Grade 1 winner in the field.

Trained by Graham Motion, won the race in 2016 with the filly Miss Temple City, Trikari also will be making his 2025 debut. Winner of the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) as well as the Secretariat (G2) and American Turf (G2) Presented by TwinSpires last year, Trikari will be ridden by John Velazquez from post 3.

Velazquez is a two-time race winner with Wise Dan (2014) and Soviet Line (IRE) (1999).

Field for the $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1)
Friday, April 11, Race 9, 5:16 p.m.
4-year-olds and up, 123 pounds, 1 mile (turf)

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Integration Shug McGaughey Frankie Dettori
2 Funtastic Again Wesley Ward Irad Ortiz Jr.
3 Trikari Graham Motion John Velazquez
4 Grand Aspen Jonathan Thomas Joel Rosario
5 Santorini Rodolphe Brisset Alex Achard
6 Carl Spackler (IRE) Chad Brown Flavien Prat
7 Silent Heart Brian Lynch Luis Saez
8 Northern Invader Cherie DeVaux Jose Ortiz
9 Seminole Chief Jack Sisterson Dylan Davis

KILWIN, ABIENTOT TOP OVERFLOW FIELD FOR FANDUEL LIMESTONE

BBN Racing’s Kilwin and Tracy Farmer’s Abientot, two fillies who closed their 2024 campaigns in the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), top a field of 12 plus four also-eligibles entered today for the sixth running of the $300,000 FanDuel Limestone (L) going 5½ furlongs on the turf.

The FanDuel Limestone will go as the seventh race on next Friday’s 10-race program with a 4:12 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Rusty Arnold, Kilwin won the Untapable at Kentucky Downs prior to finishing fifth at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup. Luis Saez has the mount for the first time from post 12.

Abientot, who was third in the Untapable, finished 14th in her Breeders’ Cup run. Prior to that, she won the Matron (G3).

Trained by Mark Casse, Abientot will have regular rider Dylan Davis aboard from post 4.

Field for the $300,000 FanDuel Limestone (L)
Friday, April 11, Race 7, 4:12 p.m.
3-year-old fillies, 5½ furlongs (turf)

Post Horse Trainer Jockey Weight
1 My Lil Punky John Ennis Adam Beschizza 118 lbs.
2 She’s All Charm Eoin Harty Gerardo Corrales 118
3 Lookinatmybuckle Jerome Miller Mario Gutierrez 118
4 Abientot Mark Casse Dylan Davis 120
5 It Ain’t Two (GB) Riley Mott Frankie Dettori 123
6 Shisospicy Jose D’Angelo Irad Ortiz Jr. 118
7 Mighty Eiru (IRE) Brendan Walsh Ben Curtis 118
8 Afternoon Diva Chris Hartman Luan Machado 118
9 Dreamaway Wesley Ward John Velazquez 120
10 Laurice George Weaver Flavien Prat 118
11 Me Governor Carlos David Jose Ortiz 123
12 Kilwin Rusty Arnold Luis Saez 120
13AE Lovely Emma Peter Eurton Flavien Prat 118
14AE Serving Time (GB) Cherie DeVaux Jose Ortiz 118
15AE Stay Classy Dale Romans Corey Lanerie 118
16AE Hey Bertie Cherie DeVaux Brian Hernandez Jr. 118


PROSPECTIVE FIELDS FOR UPCOMING STAKES

Entries taken Saturday; races Saturday, April 12

$650,000 JENNY WILEY (G1) – Choisya (GB) (Simon Crisford), Jabarra (IRE) (Roger Varian), Kehoe Beach (Wesley Ward), Sacred Wish (George Weaver). Possible: No Show Sammy Jo (GB) (Motion), Vina Arana (IRE) (Jack Sisterson).

$400,000 STONESTREET LEXINGTON (G3) – American Promise (D. Wayne Lukas), Bullard (Michael McCarthy), Gosger (Brendan Walsh), Praetor (Brown). Possible: Caldera (Lukas).

Entries taken Sunday; race Sunday, April 13

$350,000 GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (G3) – Danse Macabre (Christophe Clement), Future Is Now (Mike Trombetta), Get Twisted (Anna Navarrete), Pandora’s Gift (IRE) (Clement).