Trainer Chad Brown has won the last three editions of the $650,000 Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland and has the one to beat on Saturday with Excellent Truth.
Brown has won six of the last seven runnings of the Jenny Wiley, including winners bred in the UK, Ireland, France and the U.S. Excellent Truth is an Irish bred and will be making her U.S. debut off an 8 ½ month layoff.
Flavien Prat gets the leg up and the five-year-old mare drew the rail post in a field of nine. The race is the 10th of 11 on the Keeneland card. The co-feature is the $400,000 Lexington (G3), the last race of the Road to the Kentucky Derby points races.
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The Jenny Wiley features two other contenders making their U.S. debuts. The Simon Crisford trained Choisya (4-1) has won back to back races in Dubai and Roger Varian ships in Jabaara (9-2) who came off the layoff to check in fourth in the Lady Wulfruna Stakes on the all-weather surface at Wolverhampton on March 8. She crossed the wire a head in front in the Oak Tree Stakes (G3) at Goodwood in her previous outing last July but was disqualified for interference in the stretch and placed second.
Let’s head out to Keeneland for Saturday’s featured race of the day:
Jenny Wiley Picks
Keeneland Race 10 The Jenny Wiley G1 Post time 5:48 ET
1 Excellent Truth 5-2
2 Choisya 4-1
7 Kehoe Beach 7-2
5 Be Your Best 6-1
Excellent Truth
This mare makes her first start since last July and her first go for the Chad Brown barn that has won the last three runnings of this race and six of the last seven. In her last outing in the Prix Rothschild (G1) at Deauville she tracked the early pace, took over the lead and could not hold off Mqse de Sevigne late, checking in second beaten a length. The winner came back to win the Jean Romanet (G1) in her next start at Deauville. The five-year-old mare has just 11 starts under her belt and figures to be ready to go off the bench for Brown who is 20% winners with runners returning off a +180-day layoff. Some give to the ground will suit her.
Choisya
The Simon Crisford mare is coming off back to back wins at Meydan. Two back she won the Cape Verdi (G2) at one mile. The runner up Romantic Stye came back to win the listed Dubai Sprint in her next start. Last out the Crisford trainee was a game winner of the Balanchine (G2) at 1 1/8 miles over good ground. She looks primed for a top effort third off the bench and picks up Luis Saez.
Kehoe Beach
The filly is making her first start since winning the Mrs. Revere (G2) last November in gate to wire fashion for the Wesley Ward barn. She was making her stakes debut after breaking her maiden in her second career start, beating Alw-1 foes in her third attempt and then beating Alw-2 company in her first try. She has been working smartly for her return and figures to be the one to run down late.
