Keen Ice Breezes Half-Mile for Belmont
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Donegal Racing's Keen Ice on June 2 put in his final work at Churchill Downs before the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) June 6 at Belmont Park.
The 3-year-old son of Curlin breezed a half-mile in :50 1/5 with Tammy Fox in the saddle for trainer Dale Romans. Churchill clocker John Nichols timed Keen Ice in eighth-mile splits of :12 2/5, :25, and :37 3/5 before galloping out five furlongs in 1:04 2/5.
"I thought he looked great and he worked great; it looked perfect," Romans said. "He's doing so good that it's scary. It's all a matter of whether or not he's good enough. There's not another fear to have.
"With a lack of pace (Keen Ice) will be laying closer (in the Belmont). This is a race that even though people think it's for a deep closer, it's not; you need to be in the race. Woody Stephens said years ago that it's a speed-horse race going a mile-and-a-half, and so lack of pace will keep us in contact. I know that we have the endurance to keep going."
Keen Ice, who has one win in eight career starts, shipped to Belmont the morning of June 2 and was expected to arrive in New York early afternoon.
Keen Ice ran seventh in the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) after being as far back as 17th early in the 10-furlong contest. In three other starts this year he was fifth in the Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II), third in the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II), and fourth in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II).
Bred in Kentucky by Glencrest Farm, he is out of the Awesome Again mare Medomak.