2023 Beaumont Stakes Preview & FREE Picks | Can Key Of Life Stay Perfect At Keeneland?

Mike previews the 2023 Beaumont Stakes (G2) from Keeneland, then gives his top picks & long shots for the final 2023 Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep race. Can the Brad Cox-trained Key of Life – winner of both prior local starts including the 2022 Myrtlewood Stakes – stay perfect against a competitive field? Tell us YOUR thoughts in the Comments section!

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The track press release:

An evenly matched field of seven 3-year-old fillies was entered Thursday for Sunday’s 38^th running of the $400,000 Beaumont (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select to be run over the Beard Course of 7 furlongs, 184 feet. 

The Beaumont Presented by Keeneland Select will go as the eighth race on Sunday’s nine-race program with a 4:44 p.m. ET post time. First post Sunday is 1 p.m. 

Five of the seven are stakes winners with three of them coming off wins. 

Flurry Racing Stables and Hoffman Family Racing’s Key of Life won the Purple Martin (L) at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 25 going 6 furlongs. Her trainer, Brad Cox, won the Beaumont Presented by Keeneland Select last year with Matareya. 

Key of Life is undefeated in two Keeneland starts at 6 furlongs with the latter victory coming in the Myrtlewood Stakes last fall. Flavien Prat has the mount and will break from post seven. 

Barry Schwartz’s Stonewall Star enters the Beaumont Presented by Keeneland Select off an 11-length victory in the Wide Country Stakes at Laurel on Feb. 18 going 7 furlongs. A two-time stakes winner against New York-breds, Stonewall Star is trained by Horacio De Paz and will be ridden by Luis Saez from post three. 

Klaravich Stables’ Interpolate comes into Sunday’s race off a 2½-length victory in the Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 5. Trained by Chad Brown, who won the 2014 Beaumont with Ready to Act, Interpolate will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post four. 

Other stakes winners in the field are Lucky Seven Stable’s Fun and Feisty and Mark Grier’s Opus Forty Two. 

Fun and Feisty won the Pocahontas (G3) going 1 1/16 miles last fall at Churchill Downs for trainer Kenny McPeek, a two-time Beaumont winner. Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount from post five. 

Arnaud Delacour trains Opus Forty Two, who won the 7-furlong Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs before finishing fourth in the Suncoast (L). Tyler Gaffalione has the mount from post six. 

The field for the Beaumont, with riders and weights from the rail out:

1. Shoplifter (Corey Lanerie, 118 pounds)
2. She’s On the Rocks (John McKee, 118)
3. Stonewall Star (Saez, 118)
4. Interpolate (Ortiz Jr., 118)
5. Fun and Feisty (Hernandez Jr., 118)
6. Opus Forty Two (Gaffalione, 118)
7. Key of Life (Prat, 118)