Potential Clark Horses Keen Ice, Effinex Work

Keen Ice, who is possible for the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (gr. I) Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs, and Effinex, who is pointing to the Clark off his runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), both breezed Nov. 21.

Donegal Racing's Keen Ice, who ended Triple Crown winner American Pharoah  's eight-race win streak in this summer's Travers Stakes (gr. I), breezed five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 Saturday morning at Churchill and remains possible to start there in Friday's $500,000 Clark.

"He'll either run in the Clark or we'll look ahead to next year's Donn Handicap (Feb. 6 at Gulfstream Park) and prep for strictly going to Dubai (for the Dubai World Cup March 26)," trainer Dale Romans said. "Any decisions that we make will be up to (Donegal's) Jerry (Crawford). 

"Jerry does such a good job of managing these Donegal horses that I've turned it completely over to him. We point in a certain direction and he'll have the final say in where the horse goes. He hasn't been wrong very often, so we're not going to change our pattern."

Keen Ice left the half-mile pole under regular exercise rider Tammy Fox and recorded furlong splits of :12, :23 3/5 and :48 3/5. The 3-year-old son of Curlin   galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 4/5.

Saturday morning's breeze was the second for Keen Ice since finishing fourth, 12 1/2 lengths behind American Pharoah, in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic Oct. 31 at Keeneland. Last Sunday, he clocked a half-mile in :48 1/5.

Also Saturday, Tri-Bone Stables' Effinex, runner-up to American Pharoah in the Classic, breezed five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 over the Belmont Park training track Saturday morning and is "almost certain" to make his next start in the Clark, according to trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

"He's really risen to the occasion," Jerkens said. "He's beat some real good horses this year. At this point you just have to hope that we're as good as we were last time."

In his previous effort, he sat right off the pace set by American Pharoah in the Breeders' Cup Classic, where he held on for second at odds of 33-1. 

"We thought he was doing real well going into the Breeders' Cup," he said. "He looked like a mile-and-a-quarter kind of horse and we really thought we'd get a good race out of him. The distance suited him well. He liked being forwardly placed, but more than likely, he'll come from off the pace in this race."

In other Clark Handicap news:

• Trainer Todd Pletcher's contenders Race Day   and Protonico, a respective first and fifth in the Fayette (gr. II) at Keeneland last time out, are scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Nov. 23, according to Churchill Downs' stall superintendent Steve Hargrave. 

• Trainer Bob Baffert's Dortmund is scheduled to arrive from California Nov. 24.