Trainer Andrew McKeever showed up in Lexington, Ky. for the Keeneland spring meet having won four races over the first three months of 2012. In the span of four days last week, he doubled that total. The highlight of his week was Daisy Devine’s victory in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on the turf on Saturday.
Daisy Devine, a 4-year-old Kafwain filly owned by James Miller, has been something of an overachiever in her 18 months with McKeever. She won a first-level allowance at the Fair Grounds in late 2010 at 40-1 and took the Grade 3 Valley View Stakes at Keeneland last fall at 43-1. She was undefeated in three grass starts prior to the Jenny Wiley, but was sent off at 7-1.
Jockey James Graham angled Daisy Devine over to the rail from the 5-hole and they set the pace through slowish fractions of 25 and 50.3 over a firm course. Nobody got within a length of them at any time thereafter, and they maintained that margin at the wire. The win price was $16.20.
“She does anything you want her to do,” said Graham of Daisy Devine. “Picks up, slows down, does whatever you ask her to do and does it the right way.”
“I was reasonably confident, but I respected the competition,” said McKeever after the race. “She’s just a good horse. Good horses do everything for you.”
McKeever and Graham teamed up to win Saturday’s sixth race with Blushu Stable and Summergrove Farm’s Street Serenade. The 3-year-old Street Sense colt led most of the way in this main track maiden special weight route around two turns. He won by a diminishing neck and paid $10.20 to win. He finished eighth and ninth in his previous starts in New Orleans.
McKeever got the first of his wins on Wednesday when the Russell Reineman Stable’s Mr. Fuzzybottom wired a starter allowance field in the third race. Corey Lanerie had the seat on the 4-year-old colt, which paid $25.40 to win in this main track sprint. The winner finished well back in his debut in November 2010, but hasn’t missed a check in six subsequent starts, which now include three wins.
McKeever scored with another Reineman runner in Friday’s fourth race when Robby Albarado got Granny Calling home by four lengths in a maiden claiming sprint. The 3-year-old filly, making her second career start, paid $9.00 to win.
FENNESSY SHOCKER
Trainer John Fennessy caught the usually astute New York wagering public by surprise with Owen Kiernan’s John Joe in Thursday’s ninth race at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old gelding had been winless in five main-track appearances, but his introduction to grass racing revealed heretofore untapped resources that saw him reach the wire seven lengths in front of his nearest pursuer in this maiden claimer at one and one-sixteenths miles. Jackie Davis had the honors and the win mutuel came back $82.00.
There’s no easing into the Woodbine meet for Mike Doyle. The Dublin native is firing on all cylinders with wins on each of the three days that the Ontario oval raced last week. Scott Abbott’s Charlie’s Friend, a 6-year-old mare, was an easy 6-length victor in Friday’s fifth race, a claiming sprint for limited winners. She returned $5.40 as the chalk and went unclaimed. Luis Contreras rode.
Saturday’s winner was Abbott’s Roman Damsel, a 5-year-old mare that had the services of David Moran. Unraced since November, Roman Damsel trailed her five rivals down the backside in this 7-furlong claimer, only to launch a rally around the far turn that climaxed in victory at the wire by a head. The win mutuel came back $20.00.
Sunday’s win came in the seventh race with Windhaven’s Peyton, a 3-year-old gelding that had the winter off after breaking his maiden in November. He retained his winning edge and overcame a slow start to rally in this first-level allowance sprint at seven furlongs. Emma-Jayne Wilson, who was “manning” the reins on Peyton, got him to the wire a length in front of the second finisher. He paid $26.30 to win.
