An unhurried Keertana was allowed to settle into stride well off the early
On the third and final turn, La Luna de Miel and Keertana began to take
|
Keertana negotiated 1 1/2 miles on the rain-softened ground in 2:33, paying
$6.40, $3.60 and $3. My Baby Baby crossed the wire one length ahead of Honimiere.
A one-paced La Luna de Miel took fourth, followed by Endless Expanse, Silver La
Belle and an eased Super Espresso. Silk Route (Empire Maker) and Zapparition (Ghostzapper)
were withdrawn along with Persuading.
“She probably just likes to have the three turns,” winning trainer Tom
Proctor said of Keertana. “She’s run some pretty powerful races when we run her
there.”
Proctor also commented on the pleasure of leading in a winner for
owner/breeder Barbara Hunter.
“It’s perfect — I’ve known her since I was a little kid,” the horseman said.
“Every time Mrs. Hunter wins a race, people remember Stanley Rieser (longtime
trainer for Hunter). They come up and say it. He was a longtime friend of my
father’s (trainer Willard Proctor).”
Keertana is edging closer to millionaire status with
$914,371 in earnings from her 25-10-5-6 record, and she has now won or placed in
13 stakes. As a three-year-old in 2009, the dark bay captured the Regret S. (G3)
and Indiana Downs Distaff S. and placed in the Garden City S. (G1), Mrs. Revere
S. (G2), Lake Placid S. (G2) and Valley View S. (G3).
Last season, Keertana placed in the Mint Julep H. (G3) and De La Rose S. over
the summer, but showed an entirely new dimension when stepped up in trip for the
1 3/8-mile Glens Falls H. (G3), where she exploded to an impressive 3 1/4-length
triumph. She concluded her 2010 campaign with a hard-charging third in the
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), beaten all of a half-length.
The five-year-old opened 2011 with two straight scores, a dead-heat allowance
victory at Tampa Bay Downs on January 23 and a half-length decision in the
February 20 The Very One S. (G3) over 1 3/8 miles at Gulfstream Park. Keertana
cut back in trip to about 1 1/8 miles for the March 12 Hillsborough S. (G3) at
Tampa, rallying from last to finish third.
The Kentucky-bred was produced by the unraced Storm Cat mare Motokiks, making
her a half-sister to last year’s Garden City, Regret and Arlington Oaks (G3)
runner-up Snow Top Mountain (Najran). She has two other younger half-siblings, a
juvenile colt named Moe Moes Rock Ten (Rock Hard Ten) and an unnamed yearling
colt by Afleet Alex. Motokiks is herself a full sister to multiple German stakes
victor Catoki and a half-sister to two-time Italian highweight and Group 1 hero
Knifebox (Diesis [GB]) as well as multiple Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed
Parochial (Mehmet). This is the family of multiple Grade 1 heroine Spoken Fur
(Notebook).
When asked if Keertana would once again aim for the Breeders’ Cup, Proctor
was circumspect.
“One race at a time,” Proctor said. “I don’t think you can look too far ahead
with these horses. She’s doing good; I think she’s as good this year as any
year. So it’s nice to see.”