Ken Ramsey needed a special horse to carry a special name to honor Dr. Sandy Kapur, the New York surgeon who performed his kidney transplant in June 2024. He picked the right one in a McKinzie colt who lived up to his billing when he won Saturday's $350,000 Perryville (G3) at Keeneland at odds of 24-1.
"It was amazing with Dr. Kapur being named after his surgeon," trainer Saffie Jospeph Jr. said of the dramatic come-from-behind victory.
Joseph watched the race with his wife on the computer at their Florida home.
"Three strides before the wire he was closing and he got there right on time," he said. "It was his day yesterday."
In his early lessons with Scott Kintz of Six K's Training & Sales in Florida, the-then unnamed youngster showed extra promise.
"Mr. Ramsey asked him which one could be his (Kentucky) Derby (G1) horse, and Scott suggested this one," Joseph said.
Dr. Kapur did not run in the 1 1/4-mile Derby, but he showed an aptitude for races under a mile. Runner-up in the Gallant Bob (G2) at Parx on Sept. 19, he scored his first stakes victory in the 7-furlong Perryville. Now with a 3-2-0 record in eight starts and a $434,881 bankroll, the colt could make his next start in the $300,000 Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.
Racing at Keeneland is extra special for Ramsey. He and his late wife, Sarah, who bred Dr. Kapur, are the track's all-time leading owner by wins.
"Keeneland is Mr. Ramsey's home track," Joseph said. "He doesn't have many horses anymore, but he always wants to run at Keeneland."
Waldens Find Plenty to Celebrate After Big Saturday
Will and Tessa Walden didn't need to look hard to find reason to celebrate Saturday. Oct. 17 not only marked Will's 36th birthday but was the couple's fourth wedding anniversary.
"My anniversary, that comes first," Walden said Sunday morning. "My wife knows me too well. She knows I'd forget if we didn't put it on a day where I had to remember."
The Waldens figure to remember the day even more after two winners Saturday at Keeneland, including the featured $400,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2) with WinStar Farm's Movie Night. Walden also saddled first-time starter Breezy to victory in the fourth race, a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies, for owners LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable.
Movie Night won the 7-furlong Lexus Raven Run by 2 lengths over 33-1 longshot Mythical for her first graded stakes win. The homebred daughter of Speightstown has three wins in six starts -- all in 2026.
Walden said Movie Night came out of the race well after shipping back to Churchill Saturday night.
"She's great," he said. "Cooled out good yesterday and looked awesome jogging on the road this morning. Super happy with the effort. She's had a long year. She's been going since April. She's been great, such a talented filly, always shown that. Just really happy to get one for WinStar. They've been a lot to my family over the years. It was so great to get a graded stakes win at Keeneland for them."
Movie Night, who made her debut finishing second in a 61/2-furlong maiden during the Keeneland Spring Meet, will be headed for a Grade 1 appearance down the road.
"I need to circle up with David Hanley and Gerry Duffy at WinStar to see what we want to do," Walden said. "You can go two ways: You can keep her in training and go to the La Brea (G1) (Dec. 26 at Santa Anita), or you could give her the time now and have her back in training by Jan. 1 and point to two Grade 1s at the beginning of the spring, both at tracks that she loves in Keeneland in the (Resolute Racing) Madison (G1) or Churchill in the Humana Distaff (G1). If you wait until December, it would be tough probably to give her a break and make those races."
Movie Night joined Rhetorical as Walden's graded stakes winners at the Keeneland Fall Meet. Rhetorical won the $1.25 million Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) on Oct. 4 to secure a spot in the Oct. 31 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). The 5-year-old New York-bred son of Not This Time turned in his first work since the Coolmore Turf Mile Sunday morning, breezing a half in :49.80 on the main track at Churchill.
Walden said Rhetorical and Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) contender Minaret Station would have one more work at Churchill next week before shipping to Keeneland Oct. 26.
Versatile Champion Whitmore Remains Busy in Retirement
Some horses are official champions. Others are champions in the eyes of their people. Whitmore is both.
For his on-track success that includes winning the 2020 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland, Whitmore was crowned the Eclipse Award champion male sprinter. Now 13, he is a mount for trainer and co-owner Ron Moquett's grandchildren and others, including Moquett, in a variety of activities.
"We've had kids as young as 5 that have ridden him," Moquett said. "I am very proud of that. He is an Eclipse Award winner who can be ridden by anyone, including his old, goofy trainer."
Whitmore never rested on his laurels. In "retirement," he participated in the trail division at the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, where he navigated obstacles in the untimed competition with his former exercise rider and Moquett's wife, Laura, in the saddle. He also returned to the track as a celebrity as TV analyst Donna Brothers' mount during the NBC telecast of the 2022 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and as leader of the post parade for an Oaklawn Park race named in his honor.
Whitmore winters at the Moquetts' Hot Springs, Arkansas, training center and spends the rest of the year at their Shelbyville, Kentucky, farm.
"There have been quite a few people who come to ride," Moquett said. "Besides the jockeys, Laura and (exercise rider) Greta Kunzweiler were the only ones who ever rode him during his racing career. He was a handful to ride back then, and he didn't make it easy on his riders. But now that he is done racing, he really shows the versatility and adaptability of Thoroughbreds."
Racing from age 2 to 8, Whitmore earned $4.5 million while posting a 15-13-5 ledger in 43 starts. A four-time starter in Keeneland's Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2), the son of Pleasantly Perfect won the event in 2017 and was second twice. His other triumphs include the 2018 Forego (G1) at Saratoga.
Whitmore will never be far from the Moquetts.
"Horses are wonderful," Moquett said. "They have been so many things to us throughout history. They were designed to do what we ask them to do but they are also therapists who are confidence builders, entertainment and everything we need when we need it. We really don't deserve them but thank God we have them."
Popular Lead Pony Harley Ready for Breeders' Cup Assignments
Harley -- the supersized dark horse with a black-dotted white rump -- is easy to spot at Keeneland and impossible to forget. Arguably the most well-known horse during any Keeneland meet, Harley is one of the lead ponies that accompanies the Thoroughbreds to the starting gate.
On Oct. 30-31, fans at Keeneland and on worldwide broadcasts will see Harley when he escorts runners in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
The 16-year-old Harley is an American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft (ASHD), a modern breed developed by crossing the Percheron drafts with smaller Appaloosas to create attention-getting carriage horses. The breed is touted for its versatility, durability and gentle nature for both driving and riding.
Harley and owner/rider Monica "Monnie" Goetz also are fixtures at Churchill Downs, where they get extra attention for the Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve. The attention is just one reason Harley's likeness is replicated in a collectable Breyer model, holiday ornaments and other décor.
Despite her inadvertent fame with Harley, Goetz remains focused on her horsemanship. As the daughter of a Nebraska-based Thoroughbred trainer, she grew up at the track where she began working as an exercise rider while still a teenager. Goetz relocated to Kentucky in 1985. Both she and Harley thrive on work and show no signs of slowing down.
"This is all I know," Goetz said. "It's been a great life for me. As for Harley, he will tell me when he is ready to retire. He is very sound and his breed is made for working."
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