Juvenile Third Keepmeinmind Tops Kentucky Jockey Club

When a maiden is the leading money earner in a graded stakes race, it is often indicative of a below-average field.

Keepmeinmind's presence in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 28 seems a clear exception. The Laoban  colt is 0-for-3 but is twice grade 1-placed, most recently rallying for third in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland. He has earned $275,280 for owners Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith, possessing the richest bankroll of any maiden 2-year-old in North America.

He is one of three Breeders' Cup alumni in the nine-horse, 1 1/16-mile race, the others being King Fury and Sittin On Go, seventh and ninth in the Juvenile, respectively. The race provides qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward next year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill.

Keepmeinmind already has eight points, earning four in the Juvenile and four when second in the Oct. 3 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. In his debut at Churchill Sept. 2 going a one-turn mile, he was second to Arabian Prince, who returns in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Following his Breeders' Cup performance, in which he closed from 17 lengths off a blistering pace, beaten two lengths by Essential Quality, Keepmeinmind might be the favorite.

"I thought he ran very well," trainer Robertino Diodoro said. "He still runs spotty, which is just immatureness. He kind of lost his position a few jumps out of the gate and got shuffled to the back."

Jockey David Cohen, who often teams with Diodoro, replaces Jose Ortiz, who subbed in the Juvenile when Cohen was aboard another Diodoro trainee, sixth-place Dreamer's Disease.

"He bounced back out of the race better than I could expect or ask," Diodoro said of Keepmeinmind.

The colt will likely need to sit closer to the pace Saturday. Only two horses come off frontrunning efforts, Brad Cox trainees Swill and Inspector Frost, and a speed duel between stablemates will likely be avoided. Moderate or slow fractions could unfold.

The Dale Romans-trained Sittin On Go, a come-from-behind winner of the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Sept. 5, also could be affected by the race shape. He is coupled with Smiley Sobotka, who, like Sittin On Go, is owned by Albaugh Family Stables.

Diodoro said Keepmeinmind would be given three weeks off after the Kentucky Jockey Club before resuming training in Arkansas toward starts on the Derby trail at 3, either at Oaklawn Park or Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Along with the $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) for fillies, the Kentucky Jockey Club is one of two stakes on a 12-race card exclusively for 2-year-olds. Saturday is the second "Stars of Tomorrow" program of the fall meet that ends Nov. 29.

According to track publicity, these programs have helped launch the careers of more than 50 grade 1 winners since the series began in 2005. These include Kentucky Oaks (G1) winners Rachel Alexandra, Believe You Can, and Monomoy Girl; Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Swiss Skydiver; and 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver , who captured the Kentucky Jockey Club in 2009. 

Entries: Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, November 28, 2020, Race 11

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 2 yo
• 5:56 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
2	1Sittin On Go (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	122	Dale L. Romans	5/1
5	1ASmiley Sobotka (ON)	Corey J. Lanerie	122	Dale L. Romans	5/1
1	2Swill (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Brad H. Cox	6/1
3	3Arabian Prince (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Dallas Stewart	8/1
4	4Keepmeinmind (KY)	David Cohen	122	Robertino Diodoro	6/5
6	5Inspector Frost (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Brad H. Cox	8/1
7	6Oncoming Train (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	122	James P. DiVito	10/1
8	7King Fury (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	122	Kenneth G. McPeek	6/1
9	8Ultimate Badger (KY)	Joseph Talamo	122	Dale L. Romans	15/1