Plum Ali to Open 3-Year-Old Season in Appalachian

After closing out last season with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Keeneland, grade 2 winner Plum Ali  will return to the familiar course to open her 3-year-old campaign in the $200,000 Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T).

The one-mile turf test at Keeneland has drawn a field of six sophomore fillies. The Appalachian is the first of six graded stakes on Saturday's card.

Before last year's Breeders' Cup, Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables' Plum Ali rolled to three straight clear victories racing in New York and Kentucky. The daughter of First Samurai   won her maiden special weight debut July 23 at Saratoga Race Course before being shipped to Kentucky Downs where she delivered a 2 3/4-length score in the Mint Juvenile Fillies Stakes.

After handling that unique course, Plum Ali was returned to New York for her graded stakes debut in the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) on the inner turf at Belmont Park. Like her previous three starts for trainer Christophe Clement, Plum Ali drew off in the stretch, this time for a 2 1/4-length victory.

Plum Ali has worked regularly since February and earned the bullet March 18 at Payson Park when she breezed five furlongs in 1:03 4/5—fastest of six moves at the distance.

Joel Rosario, who was aboard for the Breeders' Cup, again will have the mount Saturday.

While Plum Ali makes her seasonal debut, Spanish Loveaffair  will try to build on her previous start where she finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of rivals in the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park, only to be disqualified to fourth for bumping rival I Get It  near the three-eighths pole.

While that stewards' decision cost Spanish Loveaffair what would have been her first graded stakes win, the Karakontie   filly campaigned by Michael Hernon, Gary Barber, and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners boasts a stakes win in last year's Sharp Susan Stakes at Gulfstream as well as a runner-up finish in the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2T) last fall on the Keeneland turf. 

Spanish Loveaffair followed that Jessamine effort with a sixth-place finish in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Just missing her first graded stakes win last out was Starlight Racing's Jouster , who led every step of the Florida Oaks (G3T) before being collared by Domain Expertise  in the final strides of that 1 1/16-mile turf test March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the daughter of Noble Mission  entered off back-to-back turf wins at Gulfstream in a maiden special weight and an allowance-level test.

Rounding out the field are Marc Detampel's Flown , who finished second to Plum Ali in last year's Mint Juvenile Fillies Stakes; Amerman Racing Stables' Gift List , a stakes-placed daughter of Bated Breath  who makes her North American debut; and Peachtree Stable's Saranya , a stakes-placed daughter of The Factor  .

Entries: Appalachian S. Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T)

Keeneland, Saturday, April 03, 2021, Race 6

• Grade IIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 3:51 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Jouster (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2
2	2Spanish Loveaffair (KY)	Chris Landeros	118	Mark E. Casse	2/1
3	3Flown (KY)	James Graham	118	Brendan P. Walsh	12/1
4	4Plum Ali (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Christophe Clement	5/2
5	5Gift List (GB)	Javier Castellano	118	Brian A. Lynch	6/1
6	6Saranya (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Brad H. Cox	9/2