Longshot Can Group rallied from last to first at 27-1 in Sunday's GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. at Keeneland to narrowly stamp his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Last-out Sapling S. scorer Noted came out on the wrong end of a tight photo, while Pepsi Juvenile Sprint S. winner Vote No rounded out the lucrative trifecta.
Sandwiched at the start and back to last as the full field scrambled for position into the first bend, Can Group was still patiently handled by Francisco Arrieta as they straightened. He was able to sneak through a seam in midstretch, kicked it into high gear from there and zoomed down the center of the course to nip Noted at the line.
Official fractions and a final time were never posted. TimeformUS's Craig Milkowski later tweeted an estimated final time of 1:43.73.
“He was [last going into the final turn],” noted Arrieta, who was celebrating his first Keeneland stakes win. “When I moved and he saw the leaders, he just took off and, wow, it was amazing. I felt like I crossed the wire in front. He was rolling. I won with him at Kentucky Downs and he came from off the pace very nice, slow, so today I planned the same. Relax, give him time and make one move, and he showed up.”
The winner was third in a pair of dirt sprints at Ellis to kick off his career before breaking through in visually impressive fashion going seven panels on the Kentucky Downs sod Sept. 2.
Sunday, Keeneland
CASTLE & KEY BOURBON S.-GII, $350,000, Keeneland, 10-8, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, fm.
1–CAN GROUP, 118, c, 2, by Good Samaritan
1st Dam: Blue Gallina, by Street Sense
2nd Dam: Miss Del Gallo, by Hennessy
3rd Dam: Ligurian, by Ogygian
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($100,000
Ylg '22 FTKOCT). O-D. J. Stable LLC and Cash is King LLC;
B-Wynnstay Inc. & H. Allen Poindexter (KY); T-Mark E. Casse;
J-Francisco Arrieta. $198,013. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-2,
$307,013. *1/2 to Flat Out Speed (Flat Out), GSW, $364,916.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Noted, 120, c, 2, Cairo Prince–Sea View Millie, by Proud
Citizen. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP).
O-Repole Stable; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$63,875.
3–Vote No, 118, g, 2, Divisidero–Sistas Ready, by More Than
Ready. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($7,500 Ylg '22 KEEJAN;
$11,000 Ylg '22 OBSOCT; $50,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN). O-Joseph
Morey, Jr.; B-A. John Price (KY); T-William E. Morey.
$31,938.
Margins: NO, 1, HF. Odds: 27.17, 3.18, 18.15.
Also Ran: First World War, Tok Tok, Depiction, Palm Tree, Double Your Money, Coin Miner, Gorilla Trek, Fortune Seller, Nomos. Scratched: Good Bali, Tireless, Tough Little Nut. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Pedigree Notes:
Can Group builds on a strong month-plus in Kentucky for his young sire (by Harlan's Holiday), who was also represented by the $1-million GIII Big Ass Fans Music City S. winner–his first at the graded level–and $1-million Dueling Grounds Oaks runner-up on the same weekend Can Group earned his diploma. He is one of 32 stakes winners and 13 group/graded winners worldwide out of Street Sense mares.
The winner's unraced dam has now been responsible for a trio of juvenile stakes winners, including 2019 Prairie Gold Lassie and Iowa Sorority S. winner Flat Out Speed, who stretched out effectively to take the GIII Iowa Oaks at three. Starlight Racing purchased Blue Gallina's yearling filly by Authentic for $310,000 at Fasig Saratoga. She failed to produce a foal for 2023, but was bred back to Jack Christopher for 2024.
#4 CAN GROUP ($56.34) led home a cavalry charge to upset the $350,000 GII Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland!
The colt by @WinStarFarm's Good Samaritan had a perfectly-timed ride by @jockeyfarrieta for trainer @markecasse and owners @DJ_Stable & Cash Is King LLC. pic.twitter.com/fxZmqmsfXo
— TVG (@TVG) October 8, 2023
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