Miss Keller finds a seam in Canadian

Miss Keller bravely burst through the gap (WEG/Michael Burns Photography) Three Chimneys Racing’s MISS KELLER (Ire) (Montjeu [Ire]) split rivals in the stretch, outkicked Latin Love (Ire) (Danehill Dancer), and pulled away to a 1 3/4-length score in Sunday’s $291,268 Canadian S. (Can-G2) at Woodbine. Dispatched as the 8-5 favorite, the Roger Attfield trainee negotiated about 1 1/8 miles on the good turf in 1:45 4/5 to register her biggest career victory. As expected, Points of Grace (Point Given) went to the early lead and carved out splits of :24 3/5 and :48 1/5. Miss Keller, who had been pressing in second through the opening quarter-mile, was then eased back into fourth by Javier Castellano. Meanwhile, Magic Broomstick (More Than Ready) moved up to apply pressure, and Irish shipper Latin Love was creeping closer in third on the outside. At the top of the stretch, Magic Broomstick and Latin Love went after Points of Grace in earnest, and Miss Keller was lurking just behind the trio. Latin Love put her head in front and appeared ready to draw off. Just at that instant, a seam opened up between Magic Broomstick and Points of Grace, and Miss Keller shot through to deliver her challenge. After a brief tussle with Latin Love, Miss Keller put her away to win convincingly.

“She really did (relax nicely),” Castellano said. “My  concern was keeping
track of somebody else. It was a small field, not much speed in the race. I
tracked in behind. She saw it very well today.” 

“She likes to track horses,” Attfield noted. “When she gallops in the
morning, she won’t go very kindly on her own, but she’ll track. She did very
well today. When he asked her to go, she split horses and went through there
very nicely.” 

Miss Keller paid $5.20, $2.60 and $2.10 while starting the $13 exactor and
$48.90 triactor (3-6-5). Latin Love was herself five lengths clear of Magic Broomstick,
who nosed out Points of Grace for third. Lemon Twirl (Lemon Drop Kid) and
Jenny’s So Great (Greatness) occupied the last two spots throughout.

Miss Keller has amassed $436,507 in earnings from her 16-5-2-2 record.
Originally trained by John Oxx in Ireland, she joined Attfield last summer. A
near-miss second in the second division of the Valley View S. (G3) at Keeneland
last fall, the bay placed in this season’s Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. (G2)
and Nassau S. (Can-G2) prior to breaking through with her first stakes score in
the August 4 De La Rose S. at Saratoga. In her only interim start, Miss Keller
was a fast-closing third in the August 28 Ballston Spa H. (G2).

“She got a long way out of it — the last race at Saratoga — a bit  too
far out of it, then she came running very strongly,” Attfield said. “But the
speed didn’t come back that much and she had a lot of ground to make up. It was
actually a very good race.” 

Bred by Hascombe and Valiant Studs in Ireland, Miss Keller is out of the
stakes-winning Warning (GB) mare Ingozi, making her a half-sister to the Group
2-placed Kotsi (Nayef) and the multiple Group 3-placed Sir George Turner (Nashwan).
Another half-sibling, the winning Oshiponga (Barathea [Ire]), is the dam of
Group 2 hero Hatta Fort (GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]).

Ingozi is herself a half-sister to multiple Group 3-winning sire Inchinor
(GB) (Ahonoora). Miss Keller’s second dam is Italian champion Inchmurrin (Ire) (Lomond),
and this is also the family of 1999 Coronation S. (Eng-G1) heroine Balisada
(Kris).