The fillies have their day in this four and a half furlong dash on the dirt. Wesley Ward will saddle two of the twelve gals that are expected to head to the post. Essential Quality is sending out his first runner from his initial crop of babies.
Keeneland – Race 2 – Friday, April 11, 2025 by The 2YO EdgeMan
#1 Satisfied Mind (7/2)
This filly is the first one that ‘The Maestro’, Wes Ward, will saddle in this event. She is by First Samurai (14.1%) and was thrown by a Quality Road mare that was 0/2 on the track and has tossed three other foals of racing age. Hat Creek Racing plunked down $25,000 to secure this gal as a yearling (2/6). She has drilled three times, with her most recent two over the Keeneland oval. Last out, she zipped three panels in 34.8 seconds from the gate (3/10).
#7 Gorrono Ranch (2/1)
Not surprisingly, the Morning Line favorite is conditioned by Ward. This filly is by second-year sire, War of Will (11.3%) and comes from an American Pharoah mare who was winless in two starts. This gal is her first foal. $25,000 was the final bid for her when she passed through the sales ring as a yearling (22/46). Wes has pumped four works into her at Keeneland in March, and she went out with last time with today’s stablemate and drilled in the same time from the gate.
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#8 Emily’s Joy (15/1)
Israel Acevedo owns and trains this Cupid filly. You’ll remember that he surprised the tote board when The Queens M G scored here at Keeneland in a 2YO MSW race last spring. This gal’s dam won as a juvenile at Longchamp, and she’s produced four other foals of racing age. The hammer fell on today’s runner last year as a yearling for a mere $3,000 (29/31). Two works back, she posted a bullet when she traveled three poles from the gate in 35.18 seconds (1/12).
#12 Lexgo (10/1)
Uncle Mo (15.2%) is the proud papa to this filly who RNAed for $240K as a yearling in 2024 for Dixiana Farms. American Pharoah sired her dam, who was 0/2 on the track, and today’s runner is her first foal. John Ennis (2/24, 8.3%) conditions this gal who has sent her out
for work on three mornings, all over three furlongs at The Training Center in Lexington. Her times have been solid.
My Pick
It’s just too easy to select a Ward runner, anyone can do that, so we’ll try to beat him with our pick #12 Lexgo. The outside is certainly not optimal, but I believe that if jockey Luan Machado can get her out of the gate quickly, she will have the opportunity to clear the field and save some ground.
More baby racing on Sunday at Keeneland, so enjoy this one and be on the lookout for my next piece. Take care and be safe. Thank you for your
Handicapping Two-Year-Old Maidens can be extremely fun and profitable. As you probably have guessed by my pen name, it is my passion and sole focus. I look forward to providing you with additional information on this category of racing right here on Iron Bets Racing. In the mean time, if you’d like to learn more, please consider picking up a copy of my book, ‘Handicapping Two-Year-Old Thoroughbreds: Consistently Pick Winners in 2YO Maiden Special Weight Races’ on Amazon.
