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Fluffy Socks Overcomes Traffic, Survives Inquiry In Jimmy Durante

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Head of Plains Partners’ favored Fluffy Socks escaped tight quarters at the head of the stretch, then accelerated smartly to draw clear at the finish for a half-length tally in the $102,500 Jimmy Durante Stakes Saturday at Del Mar.

The daughter of the British stallion Slumber was handled by Irad Ortiz, Jr. for trainer Chad Brown and had to survive a claim of foul to earn her $60,000 first prize in the Grade 3 feature for 2-year-old fillies. Ortiz, Jr. and Brown had just teamed up with another eastern-based filly, Orglandes, at the shore oval Thursday to capture the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap for older distaff runners.

Fluffy Socks ran the mile on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 1:35.35 to establish a stakes record. The previous mark was 1:35.68 set by Elsa in 2018.

“No special instructions for me,” Ortiz Jr. said. “He (Brown) just said ‘Ride her like you did before.’ She felt like a winner all the way around. We had some traffic on the turn (for home), but I got through and got her to where I wanted to be. She’s a nice filly. Big kick.”

Finishing second in the Durante was Godolphin’s Javanica and running third was Red Baron’s Barn or Rancho Temescal’s Quattroelle.

Fluffy Socks paid $5.40, $3.40 and $2.60 across the board. Javanica returned $5.20 and $3.80. Quattroelle paid $4.80.

The winner increased her bankroll to $226,880 for her third win in five starts.

The post Fluffy Socks Overcomes Traffic, Survives Inquiry In Jimmy Durante appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Keepmeinmind Puts In Big Late Run Break His Maiden In Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes

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Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith’s Keepmeinmind added to the freshman tally of stallion Laoban with a win in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Jockey David Cohen rode the juvenile to his maiden triumph as the 2-1 favorite; the pair completed 1 1/16 miles over the fast main track in 1:44.52. Trained by Robertino Diodoro, Keepmeinmind was third last out in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Also the runner-up in the G1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, Keepmeinmind has collected a total of 18 points on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

“He showed his talent today,” said Diodoro, who collected his first graded stakes win in the U.S. since Inside Straight won the 2017 Oaklawn Handicap (GII). “He’s had some tough trips previously and even though he was a maiden, we knew he’d fit with this field. I think he’ll be a horse that’ll run all day.”

Smiley Sobotka, the less-accomplished half of the Albaugh Family Stables-owned and Dale Romans-trained entry with Iroquois (GIII) winner Sittin On Go, broke fastest of all and led the field of nine 2-year-olds into the first turn and down the backstretch through quarter-mile fractions of :24.11 and :48.24 with longshot Oncoming Train and King Fury in close pursuit. Keepmeinmind was last of all about eight lengths behind.

King Fury poked his head in front leaving the far turn but Smiley Sobotka cut the corner smartly and regained the lead in upper stretch. All the while, a patient Cohen had plenty of horse beneath him with a quarter-mile to run and he swung Keepmeinmind out from last for his late run. As Smiley Sobotka plugged away on the lead, Keepmeinmind closed with a rush while seven-wide and caught the eventual runner-up with about 50 yards to the finish.

Arabian Prince was another 1 ¾ lengths back in third and returned $4.40 to show with Tyler Gaffalione aboard.

It was another two lengths back to Swill in fourth, who was followed by King Fury, Sittin On Go, Oncoming Train, Ultimate Badger and Inspector Frost.

“He’s had a lot of rough trips from the start of his career,” said Cohen, who won his first graded stakes race at Churchill Downs. “The slow pace today actually worked out for him; he didn’t seem to mind it at all. We saved ground going into the first turn and got into a nice rhythm. I let him gather himself up around the turn and didn’t want to swing too wide.”

Bred in Kentucky by Southern Equine Stable, Keepmeinmind is out of the unraced Victory Gallop mare Inclination. Raced by his breeder to a second on debut at Churchill Downs, the colt also ran second in the Breeders’ Futurity in those colors. He was sold to his current ownership before finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup. Overall, the colt’s record stands at one win, two seconds, and a third from four starts, with earnings just shy of $400,000.

After a brief break at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., Keepmeinmind will be shipped to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas for the winter to begin preparations for his 3-year-old campaign.

“He’s just growing into himself,” Cohen said. “I told Robertino this would be our Derby horse. Mentally he hasn’t grown up yet in his previous starts. He’s starting to put it all together.”

The Kentucky Jockey Club is named in honor of the holding company that operated Churchill Downs at the time of the race’s inaugural running in 1920. In recent years, the Kentucky Jockey Club produced Kentucky Derby winners in WinStar Farm’s Super Saver, who won both races for trainer Todd Pletcher in 2009 and ’10, and Mike Pegram’s Real Quiet, the runner-up in the 1997 Kentucky Jockey Club who returned to win the Derby for trainer Bob Baffert the following spring.

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Laoban Colt Graduates in Kentucky Jockey Club

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Keepmeinmind (Laoban) entered Saturday’s GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. a maiden, but with board finishes in each of his three previous appearances, including two at Grade I level. The bay colt, last for the opening 6 1/2 furlongs, came with a barnstorming finish to graduate in style, earning 10 points towards next year’s GI Kentucky Derby in the process.

Favored at 2-1, Keepmeinmind was clearly last into stride and was taken in hand by David Cohen, as Smiley Sobotka (Brody’s Cause) set the pace at the fence from Oncoming Train (Mineshaft) and King Fury (Curlin), who improved three wide into the backstretch. Still at the tail of the field, though not far off of the leaders through the middle furlongs, Keepmeinmind was guided down right onto the rail for the run around the far turn and was quietly handled as they approached the stretch. Cohen got after his mount in earnest at the quarter pole, split horses, produced Keepmeinmind on the grandstand side and raced over the top of long-time leader Smiley Sobotka for a stylish victory. Arabian Prince (Mshawish) made mild progress from the latter third of the field to round out the trifecta. The final time was 0.54 second slower against the clock than the GII Golden Rod S. two races earlier.

A debut second to Arabian Prince in a one-mile maiden rained onto the main track here Sept. 2, Keepmeinmind outran odds of 52-1 to be second to Essential Quality (Tapit) in the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 3 and bridged most of a 17-length deficit in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, coming from last to finish two lengths’ third behind Essential Quality.

Pedigree Notes:

Keepmeinmind is the third stakes winner and joins beaten GII Golden Rod S. favorite Simply Ravishing as graded winners for their first-crop sire (by Uncle Mo). Both he and Golden Rod winner Travel Column are out of mares by GI Belmont S. hero Victory Gallop who were 17 and 14 years of age, respectively, when foaling their produce. Keepmeinmind is out of a half-sister to MSW & GISP Mellow Fellow (Belek) and SW & MGSP Zawzooth (Unbridled’s Song) and has a yearling half-brother by Honor Code and a weanling full-brother. Inclination was most recently bred to Practical Joke.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB S.-GII, $200,000, Churchill Downs, 11-28, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.52, ft.
1–KEEPMEINMIND, 122, c, 2, by Laoban
                1st Dam: Inclination, by Victory Gallop
                2nd Dam: Lady Blockbuster, by Silent Screen
                3rd Dam: Dunvegan Dancer, by Lt. Stevens
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED-STAKES WIN. O-Cypress
Creek LLC & Arnold Bennewith; B-Southern Equine Stables, LLC
(KY); T-Robertino Diodoro; J-David Cohen. $119,040. Lifetime
Record: MGISP, 4-1-2-1, $394,320. *1/2 to In Jack’s Memory
(Malibu Moon), GSP, $100,553. **10th winner and third
stakes winner for freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Smiley Sobotka, 122, c, 2, Brody’s Cause–Dance
Thewayyouare, by Mineshaft. ($185,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG).
O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-Track West Racing Inc. (ON);
T-Dale L. Romans. $38,400.
3–Arabian Prince, 122, c, 2, Mshawish–Jolene, by Malibu
Moon. ($160,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $235,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG).
O-West Point Thoroughbreds & William Sandbrook; B-M.
Taylor, J. Taylor, BGT LLC, G. E. Saufley & Louis Brooks Ranch
LP (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. $19,200.
Margins: 3/4, 1 3/4, 2. Odds: 2.00, 3.50, 13.70.
Also Ran: Swill, King Fury, Sittin On Go, Oncoming Train, Ultimate Badger, Inspector Frost. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Laoban Colt Graduates in Kentucky Jockey Club appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Into Mischief ‘Rising Star’ Makes it Two-for-Two at Churchill

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Juddmonte homebred Mandaloun (c, 2, Into Mischief–Brooch, by Empire Maker) overcame an eventful trip to graduate at first asking at Keeneland Oct. 24, good for ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors, and stayed perfect in an optional claimer at Churchill Downs Saturday.

The even-money favorite kept the early leaders within his scope from his outside draw from fourth. The handsome bay was under a ride on the far turn, began to respond with a three-wide move, and kept on coming in the stretch to reel in Twilight Blue (Air Force Blue) and win going away by 1 1/2 lengths.

Mandaloun is bred on the same Into Mischief cross over Empire Maker as Juddmonte’s late MSW ‘Rising Star’ Taraz and is bred similarly to fellow ‘Rising Star’ Honest Mischief, whose dam Honest Lady (Seattle Slew) is a half-sister to Empire Maker.

Brooch, a dual group winner while under the care of Dermot Weld in Ireland, produced a full-brother to Mandaloun in 2019 which sadly passed away this year and is represented by a weanling Into Mischief colt. She was most recently bred to War Front.

Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0.

O/B-Juddmonte Farms (Ky); T-Brad Cox.

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