Keeneland Barn Notes & Photos: Golden Tempo Gets Serious Tune-Up for Kentucky Derby

(Golden Tempo / All Photos by Coady Media)

From the Keeneland Media Team / Amy Owens:

• GOLDEN TEMPO BREEZES SHARP HALF-MILE TOWARD KENTUCKY DERBY START
• VENENCIA (FR) TOPS EVENLY MATCHED FIELD OF NINE FOR CLOSING-DAY BEWITCH PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SALES
• THIRD WEEK SPECIAL EVENTS
• SPRING MEET LEADERS

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

GOLDEN TEMPO BREEZES SHARP HALF-MILE
TOWARD KENTUCKY DERBY START

Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Golden Tempo signaled his readiness for a shot at Kentucky Derby (G1) glory Friday morning by working a half-mile in :47 under jockey Jose Ortiz over a fast track at Keeneland.

Click here for a video of the work.

Working inside of debut maiden winner Not to Worry, Golden Tempo galloped out 5 furlongs in :59.40 and 6 furlongs in 1:12.

“It went really well and that was his last major work (before the May 2 Derby),” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “I will do something with him here next Friday and then go over to Churchill Downs Saturday morning.”

Today’s move was the third Keeneland work for Golden Tempo since he finished third in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 21.

Ortiz has been aboard Golden Tempo in all four of his starts.

“We obviously knew he was going to be better with distance (after winning his career debut at 6 furlongs),” Ortiz said. “He won going short. Broke a bit slow. A little green in the stretch, but he still got the win. Then he jumped to a stakes (the Lecomte-G3 in his second start) and won going longer (at a mile and a sixteenth).

“We were very happy and impressed by him,” Ortiz continued. “Doing that (going from a maiden sprint to a stakes route) is very hard to do. After that, he has been running good. He has been running at pace, even in a race with no pace. He was very hard to close on. I think his last race (the Louisiana Derby) was very, very good. He only got beat a length by Emerging Market, who just ran a really good race coming off of a maiden. I think it’s anybody’s race in the (Kentucky) Derby.”

Among other workers for DeVaux Friday morning were two horses also expected to be in the starting gate on May 2 on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

C R K Stable’s Remember Mamba, winner of the opening-day UK HealthCare Transylvania (G3), worked a half-mile in :49.80 in company with Reagan’s Honor. Remember Mamba is targeting the $1 million American Turf (G1).

The undefeated Englishman, also owned by C R K, tuned up for the $750,000 Pat Day Mile (G2) Presented by SAP with a :46.20 half-mile. Englishman galloped out 5 furlongs in :58.60, 6 furlongs in 1:11.20 and seven-eighths in 1:24.60.

VENENCIA (FR) TOPS EVENLY MATCHED FIELD OF NINE
FOR CLOSING-DAY BEWITCH PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SALES

Miller Racing’s Venencia (FR), winner of last fall’s Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) here, headlines an evenly matched field of nine fillies and mares entered for the 64th running of the $350,000 Bewitch (G3) Presented by Keeneland Sales going a mile and a half on the turf on the closing-day program of the 15-day Spring Meet.

The Bewitch will go as the eighth race on the April 24 10-race program with a 4:44 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Venencia will attempt to join Market Booster in 1994-1995 as the only horse to win the Dowager and then come back the following spring to win the Bewitch. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount from post 3.

A trio of other Grade 3 winners are part of the field.

The first is Augustin Stable’s three-time Grade 3 winner Mrs. Astor. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, Mrs. Astor comes into the Bewitch off a narrow third-place finish in the Santa Ana (G3) as the favorite on March 15 going 1¼ miles. Jose Ortiz has the mount from post 6.

Coming in from Gulfstream Park with a victory at the 1½-mile distance is the second, Speed Shopper. Trained by Will Walden and owned by the partnership of Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Speed Shopper won the Christophe Clement (G3) on Jan. 24. John Velazquez has the mount from post 9.

The third is Andrew Schwarz and Wendy Schwarz Gilder’s Just Basking, who won The Very One (G3) Presented by DRF en Espanol going 1⅜ miles in February for trainer Ian Wilkes. Javier Castellano has the mount from post 7.

Field for the $350,000 Bewitch (G3) Presented by Keeneland Sales
4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1½ miles (turf)
April 24, Race 8, 4:44 p.m.

THIRD WEEK SPECIAL EVENTS

Year-round

Official Keeneland Tours. Click here for availability and to purchase.

Keeneland Library is presenting the free exhibit Raices: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, which highlights 100 trailblazing Latino men and women whose contributions have shaped Thoroughbred racing and breeding from the late 1800s to today.

The Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Enter Keeneland at Gate 1 on Keeneland Blvd. and take the first right on Entertainment Ct. The Library is to the left of the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center.

Spring Meet

The Keeneland Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 30 minutes following the final race and on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On race days, Milliners Corner, Wagering Central and Finish Line locations will be open.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

The Hill. No ticket or reservation is required for tailgating on The Hill, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center and accessible via Gate 1 (at Man o’ War Blvd.) or Gate 4 (off Van Meter Road on the east side of Keeneland). The Hill is open from 8 a.m. to 60 minutes after the final race. Amenities are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday

Jockey Autograph Signing. Fans will meet active and retired Keeneland riders and Hall of Famers in an event that benefits the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). Hats, posters, goggles and autograph books that can be signed will be available for purchase; personal items may be signed with a donation to PDJF. The event is on the North Terrace from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Racetracks of America Book Signing. The Racetracks of America: From the Pre-Civil War Days to the 21st Century is an image-packed compendium of past and present U.S. race tracks with contributions by the top writers in Thoroughbred racing. Meet the book’s developers from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and Keeneland Library and purchase a copy while supplies last. All proceeds from book sales at Keeneland will benefit the Keeneland Library Foundation. Book signing will take place outside The Keeneland Shop from noon to 4 p.m.

PDJF Telethon Presented by Lane’s End. Racing Hall of Fame riders, leading active jockeys and racing personalities will take part in the eighth annual fundraiser. Keeneland will hold a call center in the Limestone Café in the Sales Pavilion. The event will be broadcast on both FanDuel TV and America’s Day at the Races on the Fox Sports family of networks and be streamed on tvg.com. Fans can participate by calling 1 844 884-7353 from 12:30-6 p.m. or by donating directly at https://pdjf.org/donate/.

Sunday

Kids Club Family Day Presented by Golisano Children’s at UK. The Keeneland Kids Club is the Official Kids Club for Keeneland fans ages 12 and under. Children 12 and under receive free general admission (no ticket required); Kids Club members may reserve up to two complimentary general admission tickets for accompanying adults in advance of the event. Access to reserved grandstand seating in Sections A, B & C is also available. Children’s activities in the North Terrace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. will include face painting, sweet treats and activities with such local community partners as Amplify Horse Racing, Golisano Children’s at UK, LexArts and The Salvation Army. Sign up for the Kids Club at Keeneland.com/kidsclub.

SPRING MEET LEADERS

Through April 16 (9 days of 15-day season)