Keep Quiet Holds off Ticonderoga to Win G3 Dixiana Bourbon

LEXINGTON, KY (Oct. 9, 2016) – Trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Florent Geroux. Keep Quiet held off a late charge from favored Ticonderoga to win the G3 Dixiana Bourbon by 1 1/4 lengths.

Casse earned his second consecutive victory in the race having scored with Airoforce last year. Only Todd Pletcher had completed the consecutive double previously, winning with Bittel Road in 2008 and Interactif in 2009.

Keep Quiet sat just in back of dueling leaders All Right and Cold Snack Thirty until pouncing at the head of the stretch to put away All Right and shrug off a challenge from Royal by Nature (IRE) at the eighth pole before kicking clear. Keep Quiet covered the 1 1/16 miles over a firm turf course in 1:44.92.

The victory was worth $150,000 to Keep Quiet, a son of Elusive City out of the Sillery mare Luminosity (GB). Keep Quiet has won two of five starts for earnings of $243,550.

Keep Quiet returned $10, $4 and $3.40. Ticonderoga, ridden by Javier Castellano, returned $2.80 and $2.40 and finished a half-length in front of Bird’s Eye View who rallied for third under Robby Albarado and paid $7.40 to show.

Royal by Nature finished another neck back in fourth and was followed in order by Artful Union, Heaven Is Waiting, Hembree, Hot Dad, All Right, Prados Way, Real Creel, Ancient Warfare, Unbridled Eagle and Cold Snack Thirty.

Racing resumes Wednesday with an eight-race program highlighted by the $150,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G3) for 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the turf and a “Win and You’re In” challenge race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) to be run Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. First post time Wednesday is 1:05 p.m. ET.

Quotes from the $250,000 Dixiana Bourbon (G3)

Norman Casse (assistant to his father, Mark Casse, winning trainer of Keep Quiet (FR)

“I was a little scared that last sixteenth of a mile. This horse had a really good month in Saratoga (during the summer). He was breezing really well coming up to the race. He rewarded our confidence in him today.

“This is a super talented horse. We were disappointed in him early; we figured him out a little bit. He wants to be comfortable early. He didn’t want to be rushed off his feet sprinting. Flo (jockey Florent Geroux) gets along with him really well. We just let him be him.”

Florent Geroux (winning rider)

“I wanted to make sure he broke good today. Last time (in the Grade 2 With Anticipation at Saratoga in which he finished second), he broke a little bit flat-footed, a little slow, and I wanted to make sure he got away very nicely from the gate so I could take a better position in the race.

“We had a good trip. I was just behind two horses. From there, he settled nicely, relaxed. When the horses came next to him in the stretch, he was very brave and showed a lot of heart.”

Javier Castellano (rider of runner-up Ticonderoga)

“I had a good trip but there was a lot of traffic in the race. My horse started lugging in a little bit at the top of the stretch and in the last part. He was straightforward to the eighth pole but maybe he was looking around at the Grandstand or something. He started lugging in sideways and it was a little difficult to ride him in that part. He is a great horse. He is developing. It was a big step to move forward today. He hung in there so well mentally (except for) the last part. There is a lot of potential with him. He is going to be one of the best horses in the country.”

Robby Albarado (rider of third-place finisher Bird’s Eye View)

“My horse ran great. He’s a little on the green side, lightly raced like most of them in here, but I see a lot of potential in him. With racing experience, he’ll be a nice horse next year.”

Jose Ortiz (rider of fourth-place finisher Royal by Nature [IRE])

“Nice colt. He was two for two, he belongs on this level. He ran the whole way. So did the winner. He was ready.”

Keeneland