Neat Takes Transylvania Stakes With Gutsy Rail Move

Trainer Rob Atras went from never hitting the board with a runner at Keeneland to winning his first graded stakes at the Lexington oval when Neat  captured the April 5 $400,000 Transylvania Stakes (G3T).

And Neat did it against a top-quality field of turf 3-year-olds, many of whom will be resurfacing in next month's American Turf Stakes (G2T) on Derby Day.

"He's a horse that's getting better, and he raced against some very tough horses in here and that's what I think is most impressive," Atras said.

Neat has been nearly flawless on the turf, barring an 11th-place finish in his 2-year-old debut at Kentucky Downs. The son of Constitution   was exiting an eye-catching 5 1/2 length in the Jan. 27 Texas Turf Mile Stakes leading into his first graded stakes test.

The first half-mile of the Transylvania was anything but reassuring for Atras. Neat was fighting hard against jockey Reylu Gutierrez from the inside fence, straining to press early race leaders Oscar's World  and Musical Act  through opening fractions of :23.98 and :48.78. Down the backstretch, however, Gutierrez had managed to settle the eager colt and tuck back into fifth position, which Atras felt made the difference between winning and losing the race.

"After the developments in the first turn I was wondering if we were going to have any horse left but Reylu (Gutierrez) did a great job of settling him down," Atras said. "Obviously he felt like he had a lot of horse down the backside. He had a lot of confidence and that was key. And then (Neat) came up the inside; I think it takes a very good horse to do that."

Gutierrez and Neat threaded their way between horses down the lane before gunning through a narrow seam along the rail. The gutsy move resulted in a nose win.

Cugino  was the runner-up by a half-length over Lagynos  in third. Favored Musical Act, shipping in with a Godolphin brigade earlier in the week, faded to fifth.

Neat, overlooked at 13-1 on the odds board, ($28.82) ran the 1 1/16 miles on a "good" turf course in 1:44.93.

Journeyman rider Gutierrez and the colt's owner, the budding Red, White, and Blue Racing partnership, also secured their first Keeneland graded stakes wins.

Neat, a half brother to stakes winner Louder Than Bombs  (Violence  ), was acquired by Red, White and Blue Racing for $200,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Randy Gullat, the founder of the successful Twin Creeks Racing Stables, created the new partnership.

Gullat indicated Neat and the silks of Red, White, and Blue Racing would fly next in the American Turf.

Iowa-Bred Glengarry Continues Paying Off in Lafayette

Midwest-based owner-trainer Doug Anderson bought a residence in Lexington two weeks ago for his eventual retirement. He says his star sprinter, Glengarry , who he owns with Aaron Kennedy and Toby Joseph, is helping pay for the place.

Racing in Friday's $320,050 Lafayette Stakes at Keeneland, just on the other side of town from Anderson's new place, Glengarry cruised to a front-running 3 1/2-length victory in the sprint for 3-year-olds, earning $181,350 to advance his career bankroll to $418,851. His owners are now well in the black after Kennedy purchased the Iowa-bred son of Maximus Mischief   for $150,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale from the Kings Equine consignment.

Glengarry raced seven furlongs on a fast track in the Lafayette under Luis Saez in 1:22.91 after establishing splits of :22.28 and :44.98. He paid $13.56 to win.

Who Dey  rallied to grab second by a length over Frosty Indulgence  in third. Favorites Doncho  and Booth  disappointed to respectively finish fourth and fifth.

The winner, bred by Highpoint Bloodstock out of the Tizway  mare L. A. Way  in Iowa and initially raced there, scored his fourth win in five starts in the Lafayette. It was his second stakes victory at Keeneland following a triumph in the Bowman Mill Stakes last fall. His only defeat came in his pre-Lafayette start in the Dec. 15 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes when he ran second while racing two turns in the mud.

Anderson thereafter chose to focus Glengarry in sprints and the Lafayette marked the first step for such a campaign at 3.