Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Daring Duchess rolled to a three-length victory in the 2017 running of the Keertana Overnight Stakes. (Coady Photography/Churchill Downs)
Trainer Mike Maker will saddle Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s multiple stakes-winning mare Daring Duchess when she seeks a second consecutive victory in Saturday's $70,000-added Keertana Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs. (Coady Photography/Churchill Downs)
Brereton C. Jones' Creative Thinking, a 4-year-old daughter of Creative Cause trained by Tom Proctor, comes into the Keeranta off a 1 1/2-mile allowance win over soft turf at Keeneland. (Coady Photography/Keeneland)
Blackstone River Stable's Keeranaa contender La Manta Gris (outside) notched her only career victory for trainer Rusty Arnold in a maiden race on grass last May at Churchill Downs. (Coady Photography/Churchill Downs)
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s multiple stakes-winning mare Daring Duchess leads a field of seven fillies and mares in Saturday’s sixth running of the $70,000-added Keertana Overnight Stakes at 1 ½ miles on Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course.
The 1 ½-mile Keertana for fillies and mares was named for Barbara Hunter’s homebred Keertana, who won four of her nine starts at Churchill Downs, including a nose triumph over males in the $111,200 Louisville Handicap (Grade III) in 2011.
The Keertana, carded as Race 3 at approximately 1:43 p.m. (all times Eastern), is the first of two stakes events on Churchill Downs’ 11-race program Saturday. The 15th running of the $100,000 Winning Colors (GIII) will complete Saturday’s stakes action as Race 10 at approximately 5:26 p.m.
A former $35,000 claim in 2016 for the Ramseys and trainer Mike Maker, Daring Duchess won the 2017 Keertana by three lengths. Jockey Corey Lanerie has the call on the five-time winner and will break from Post 2.
The Keertana field from the rail out (with jockeys and assigned weights): Sunday Strait (Sammy Camacho Jr.); Daring Duchess (Lanerie); Araminta (Ricardo Santana Jr.); Creative Thinking (Adam Beschizza); Tweety Show (James Graham); La Manta Gris (Brian Hernandez Jr.) and Galilea (Robby Albarado)
All horses will carry 121 pounds.
