Miller Racing’s Venencia (FR), winner of last fall’s Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) here, headlines an evenly matched field of nine fillies and mares entered for the 64th running of the $350,000 Bewitch (G3) Presented by Keeneland Sales going a mile and a half on the turf on the closing-day program of the 15-day Spring Meet.
The Bewitch will go as the eighth race on the April 24 10-race program with a 4:44 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.
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Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Venencia will attempt to join Market Booster in 1994-1995 as the only horse to win the Dowager and then come back the following spring to win the Bewitch. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount from post 3.
A trio of other Grade 3 winners are part of the field.
The first is Augustin Stable’s three-time Grade 3 winner Mrs. Astor. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, Mrs. Astor comes into the Bewitch off a narrow third-place finish in the Santa Ana (G3) as the favorite on March 15 going 1¼ miles. Jose Ortiz has the mount from post 6.
Coming in from Gulfstream Park with a victory at the 1½-mile distance is the second, Speed Shopper. Trained by Will Walden and owned by the partnership of Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Speed Shopper won the Christophe Clement (G3) on Jan. 24. John Velazquez has the mount from post 9.
The third is Andrew Schwarz and Wendy Schwarz Gilder’s Just Basking, who won The Very One (G3) Presented by DRF en Espanol going 1⅜ miles in February for trainer Ian Wilkes. Javier Castellano has the mount from post 7.
16-1 Longshot Reb Five Surges Late to Win Palisades
CJ Stables’ Reb Five surged past Throckmorton 20 yards from the finish en route to a neck victory in the $300,000 Palisades (L) for 3-year-olds Sunday afternoon at Keeneland.
Trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Reb Five completed the 5½ furlongs over a firm turf course in 1:04.06. It is the second win in the race for Ortiz, who first won on Fandom (GB) in 2024.
Monster opened a daylight lead out of the gate in the field of 11 by clicking off an opening quarter-mile in :21.05 with favored Schwarzenegger and Throckmorton in closest pursuit and Reb Five far back.
On the turn, the top three remained unchanged while behind them Ortiz was beginning to move on Reb Five. At the eighth pole, Throckmorton took over from Monster with Reb Five getting an inside run.
At the sixteenth pole, Reb Five moved to the outside of a tiring Monster and took aim on Throckmorton before collaring him in the final yards.
A Keeneland sales graduate, Reb Five is a Kentucky-bred son of Vekoma out of the Palace Malice mare Ill Will. The victory was worth $172,050 to increase Reb Five’s earnings to $288,413 with a record of 6-3-1-0.
Reb Five returned $34.36, $13.40 and $8.38. Throckmorton, ridden by Luis Saez, returned $8.82 and $5.84 and finished 4½ lengths in front of Azizam (GB), who paid $9.58 to show under Javier Castellano.
It was another neck back to Itza Lock with Monster, Sandal’s Song, Schwarzenegger, Walter the Mason, Intricate Spirit, Shipmate and Archimedes following in order.
