Danner Aims to Cap Career-Best Year at Turfway Park

Trainer Kelsey Danner will be aiming to build on an already career-best year during Turfway Park's Synthetic Championships Dec. 14 where her stable will be represented in two of the evening's featured stakes, with Nice as Pie  competing in the $250,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes and Run Carson  entered in the $250,000 Holiday Cheer Stakes.

Danner, who keeps horses year-round at Turfway, has recorded 38 wins from 282 starts in 2024 through Dec. 10, with her stable earning more than $2.2 million in purses. The milestone year underscores the steady rise of Danner, who grew up around the sport with a long lineage of horse trainers in her family.

"This year has been incredible for our team," Danner said. "We're looking forward to Saturday night with both of these horses. Each of their races came up very competitive and they'll have to be at the top of their game."

Nice as Pie, a 3-year-old homebred for Dede McGehee, returns to Turfway for the Holiday Inaugural, where she will try to maintain her perfect record over the Tapeta surface. The daughter of Tapiture   is 4-for-4 at Turfway, with victories in the Serena's Song Stakes and Valdale Stakes during the winter/spring meet.

"Nice as Pie's record at Turfway speaks for itself and she loves the surface there," Danner said. "We're adding blinkers for this start to keep her a little more focused during the race. We're excited for her to get back on it Saturday."

Since her success at Turfway earlier this year, Nice as Pie has ventured to other tracks and surfaces but hasn't had the same level of success. She finished second in the Penn Oaks and fourth in the Mamzelle Stakes and the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2). Most recently, she finished 10th in the Valley View Stakes (G2T) on the turf at Keeneland. Luis Saez will ride Nice as Pie, who breaks from post 6 in the six-furlong Holiday Inaugural, scheduled as race 5 at 8:11 p.m.

Two races later, NBS Stable's Run Carson will compete in the Holiday Cheer for his first start on the Tapeta surface. The 3-year-old colt by Maclean's Music   has been consistent throughout his career, winning four of eight starts, including a Nov. 24 turf allowance at Churchill Downs in his last start and the Carle Place Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in October.

"This will be Run Carson's first start on synthetic," Danner said. "But he's based at Turfway and has worked over the surface plenty of times. He handles it well in the mornings, so we're optimistic."

Run Carson will also be ridden by Saez and breaks from post 3.