'A Real Man,' Keen Ice Gears Up for Classic

Dale Romans is conditioning a different Keen Ice in the afternoons and the mornings these days compared with the spring, and for the Kentucky-based trainer the development has been something to see.

Romans said some physical and mental maturing have helped the 3-year-old improve this summer, and will put the son of 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Curlin   in position to run a top race in this year's edition of North America's richest race Oct. 31 at Keeneland. On Oct. 24, when Romans also sent out Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) contenders Brody's Cause (5f in 1:00 4/5) and Unbridled Outlaw (5f in 1:00 2/5), Keen Ice worked five furlongs in 1:01 flat under Tammy Fox in preparation for the Classic.

"I see (the development) in the morning. He used to just kind of look like a gawky 7-footer in basketball. But now he's walking on his back feet down the shedrow half the time," Romans said. "He's really become kind of arrogant, hollering for his food. He seems to know that he's the king of the barn."

In the afternoon that development has seen Donegal Racing's Keen Ice run second to American Pharoah in the William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 2 at Monmouth Park before knocking off the Triple Crown winner in a thrilling edition of the Travers Stakes (gr. I) later that month at Saratoga Race Course. 

That Travers victory snapped an eight-race skid dating back to Keen Ice's debut victory in a September maiden race last year at Churchill Downs. But a look at Equibase Speed Figures suggests Keen Ice was putting things together, as the Travers marked the fourth straight race he registered a career-best number.

Beyond that result, Romans notes Keen Ice's early running in the Travers. Instead of attempting to rally from the clouds—he closed from 10 lengths out in his debut win—Keen Ice raced fourth and was 4 1/2 lengths out at the first call of the 1 1/4-mile Travers. That helped him be ready to pounce in the stretch to secure his first stakes win.

"Before we had a horse that I thought was like a freight train. He'd just keep coming, coming, and coming; but he'd be a victim a little bit of pace," Romans said. "In the Haskell we saw a horse that had turn of foot and was able to sustain a long run with that turn of foot. He did the same thing in the Travers. That is a huge difference.

"In the Travers, if you notice, we put him in the race a lot closer and it didn't take any of his finish kick away. I think that'll be very important for this race."

Romans believes that added versatility will provide more options for Keen Ice in the Classic.

"If they go into an unrealistic pace early, they'll be able to let him settle and make his big run," Romans said. "But I think it will be a little different. When the jockey calls on him, we'll see that acceleration. This horse is a real man; he's a big, strong colt and he's finally put it all together. I don't think he's a victim of pace any longer. The jock will be able to do whatever he wants with him."

After the Travers win, Romans said he talked things over with Donegal Racing's Jerry Crawford and they opted to train Keen Ice up to the Classic, an eight-week break. Romans noted the long season that saw Keen Ice race in three races before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), his seventh in the Derby and third in the Belmont, then his two grade I August races.

"It's a little bit different for a 3-year-old in terms of the path we have to take to end up in the Classic. You have to run several times in order to get enough points to get into the Derby, then we ran in  two of the Triple Crown races, the Haskell, then back to the Travers. And it just squeezes you a bit if you're going to work the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) or something in there," Romans said. "Our horse is a horse I've never seen tire. He just has a great engine that keeps going. 

"I felt like if we could keep him sharp, keep him fresh, he had turned the corner at the Haskell and showed us a turn of foot that we hadn't seen. He's become mentally a little more aggressive, even to the point of being arrogant. He brought his 'A' game to the Travers and we just felt like we could maintain that right up to the Breeders' Cup. So far I haven't seen any signs of him backing up at all."