Three-time grade 1 winner Nest and Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) winner Idiomatic top the marquee for the 68th running of the Spinster Stakes (G1) Oct. 8 at Keeneland.
The 1 1/8-mile Spinster is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series qualifier for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), meaning the winner gets an automatic and free entry to the World Championships event. Since the Breeders’ Cup launched in 1984, seven Spinster winners went on to capture the Distaff, which Malathaat accomplished in 2022.
Nest is one of two entrants with a win at Keeneland. The 4-year-old daughter of Curlin won the 2022 Ashland Stakes (G1) and later in the year ran fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at the Lexington racetrack. In between those appearances, she ran second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1), and won the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), Alabama Stakes (G1), and the Beldame Stakes (G2). This year she was given a long break and returned July 23 in the Shuvee Stakes (G2), which she won by 2 1/4 lengths.
She next ran third behind Idiomatic and Secret Oath, who missed the Spinster due to inflammation in her right front ankle and has been retired. Nest will be ridden in the Spinster by regular pilot Irad Ortiz Jr.
“We know she likes this track,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who manages the filly for Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House. “We feel good about her that we got two races in her.”
Pletcher has won the Spinster five times, most recently with Malathaat.
Idiomatic has never raced at Keeneland but she has been on the right trajectory heading into the Spinster. The Juddmonte homebred by Curlin and out of First Defence stakes winner Lockdown has won six of seven starts this year, including three consecutive stakes wins in the Shawnee Stakes (G3), Delaware Handicap (G2), and then the Personal Ensign for trainer Brad Cox. Jockey Florent Geroux was aboard for all three of these graded stakes victories and will hold the reins in the Spinster as well.
Le Da Vida , a graded-placed stakes winner for Sebastian Salinas’ Masaiva Inc., is the other Spinster entry with a win at Keeneland. She won a $103,469 allowance race going 1 1/16 miles Oct. 29 of last year by 2 1/2 lengths. This year she has run only in black-type stakes, winning the Lady Jacqueline Stakes at Thistledown and placing second in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) and third in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3). In 2020-21 while racing in Chile, she placed in three group 1 stakes.
The 6-year-old daughter of Gemologist is trained by Ignacio Correas IV, who won the Spinster in 2018-19 with Blue Prize . Le Da Vida will be ridden by Vincent Cheminaud.
Contenders
- Idiomatic got the ideal pace set-up in the Personal Ensign that allowed her to roll gate-to-wire and have plenty in the tank at the end to hold off challengers. She will not likely see that in the Spinster with Kaleem Shah’s grade 1-placed Bellamore coming into the race off a front-running performance in Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2), and Coffeepot Stables’ Malloy —who stalked Idiomatic in the slop in the Personal Ensign for half the race—likely to spark a much faster pace on a fast track.
- Nest is also capable of setting up a much faster pace scenario and carrying through with a win as she did in the 1 1/8-mile Coaching Club American Oaks.
Entries: Juddmonte Spinster S. (G1)
Keeneland, Sunday, October 08, 2023, Race 9
- Grade I
- 1 1/8m
- Dirt
- $600,000
- 3 yo’s & up Fillies and Mares
- 5:16 PM (local)
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