How competitive is the Appalachian Stakes (G2T), rescheduled for April 8 at Keeneland? Glad you asked.
Six of the 10 3-year-old fillies entered for the race won their last start, one by 10 1/2 lengths. Two come off back-to-back victories, and another has won three straight. The 1-2 finishers from the Florida Oaks (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs mix it up again. And three in this field were good enough at age 2 to run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).
Even with all that talent on display, the morning line pegs Florida Oaks winner Nitrogen and Vixen, winner of the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park, as fairly solid favorites for the one-mile turf tilt, postponed with the full April 5 card three days by rainstorms in Kentucky. The fillies, both trained by Mark Casse, will start side-by-side from the inside gates.
Nitrogen, a Medaglia d'Oro filly, won at first asking on the Woodbine greensward last August, then finished third in the Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine Sept. 14. She was third again in the Breeders' Cup but wasted no time starting 2025 on the right note with a triumph in the Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream Park Jan. 4.
The win in the Florida Oaks earned her a trip to the soggy Bluegrass.
Vixen, a Vekoma filly, took two starts to get her first win, going so at Ellis Park, then finished second in the Natalma, beaten just a nose but 1/2 length better than Nitrogen. She was sixth in the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar but, like her stablemate, is perfect at age 3 with wins in the Sweetest Chant Stakes and Herecomesthebride, both at Gulfstream.
Vixen had to hold off a pair of longshots to win the Herecomesthebride by a nose and Casse said after that race she might have "bounced" from the Sweetest Chant victory.
"She's tough. She's a good horse," Casse said after that race. "Like I said, maybe she kind of regressed from her first start (in Florida). She'll have some time and she'll be off to Kentucky."'
Both Casse fillies have raced exclusively on firm turf. The course on Tuesday is likely to be less than firm; about six inches of rain are forecast to fall in Lexington April 2-6.
Just to the outside of those two is Fionn. The Twirling Candy miss, trained by Brad Cox, defends the aforementioned three-race win streak, which includes a 1 1/4-length score in the March 8 Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Lush Lips would be looking for a fourth straight win had she not run into Nitrogen in the Florida Oaks. The Brendan Walsh trainee came from Donacha O'Brien's care after finishing up the course in her first U.S. start at Kentucky Downs. She atoned for that with two impressive wins at Gulfstream Park when sent to the front and just failed to last in the Tampa Bay Downs contest.
Foxtastic won her 3-year-old debut by 10 1/2 lengths in a dead heat with Bourbon Memory on the Turfway Park all-weather track March 1. Bourbon Memory returned to win the Serena's Song Stakes at Turfway and remains undefeated after four starts.
The Breeders' Cup participants in the Appalachian are Nitrogen (third), Vixen (sixth), and Totally Justified (eighth). Totally Justified finished second, beaten just a nose, in the Jessamine Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland before shipping to Del Mar. She adds blinkers for Tuesday's race
Liam in the Dust showed promise with a second-place finish in the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) in September at Churchill Downs but failed to move forward from that. Trainer Rodolphe Brisett tries the daughter of Liam's Map on the grass for the first time.
Others entering off victories are Good Temper and Table Flirt.
Keeneland, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, Race 6Entries: Appalachian S. Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Nitrogen (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Mark E. Casse 2/1 2 2Vixen (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Mark E. Casse 3/1 3 3Fionn (KY) Luan Machado 118 Brad H. Cox 8/1 4 4Fast Market (KY) Jaime A. Torres 118 John P. Terranova II 30/1 5 5Good Temper (KY) Mike E. Smith 118 William Walden 20/1 6 6Totally Justified (KY) Luis Saez 118 George R. Arnold II 6/1 7 7Liam in the Dust (KY) John R. Velazquez 118 Rodolphe Brisset 15/1 8 8Lush Lips (GB) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Brendan P. Walsh 5/1 9 9Foxtastic (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 118 Josie Carroll 12/1 10 10Table Flirt (KY) Flavien Prat 118 William I. Mott 20/1
