Steve Keplin, Jr., Prayven Badrie Win Three of Four Stakes, Open Up in Standings

Leading trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. (right holding trophy) was all smiles after winning the Chantilly Stakes with Ginas Serenade on Wednesday. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo)

By G.S. Thompson

Trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. won three of the four stakes and opened up a big lead in the trainer standings this week, while five-time leading trainer Jerry Gourneau returned to the fray with an exclamation point, winning the Golden Boy Stakes.

The $50,000 Golden Boy turned out to be a doozy of a race on Tuesday when Medicine Dog and Prayven Badrie took on Just Trust Me and Antonio Whitehall as soon as the bell rang and dueled all the way to the wire. Medicine Dog ($3.10) prevailed inside by a neck for trainer Jerry Gourneau, who recently returned from Texas, and owner Henry S. Witt, Jr. Both horses were very game and traded leads more than once in the stretch before the photo was snapped. Just Trust Me, conditioned by Dewey Williams for himself and ownership partner Eugene Burns, can also hold their heads high after this one.

Next up on Tuesday was the $50,000 Free Press Stakes, and it turned out to be a fabulous race too, with Judo ($7.20) and jockey Prayven Badrie rallying widest outside Exxel in a searing late stretch battle to prevail by a head for trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. and owner James Parisien. Once again, there were no losers in this race, and trainer Rick Wise, the trainer of Exxel, can be proud of the huge effort put forth by his horse.

The Keplin stakes train continued to roll on Wednesday in both the $50,000 Chantilly Stakes and the $50,000 La Verendrye Stakes. In the former, Arnason Farms’ Ginas Serenade and Prayven Badrie won a three-horse duel, shook off a game Welcometohollywood after brushing with that one in early stretch, and survived a claim of foul to remain in the winner’s circle.

Keplin and crew were back in the winner’s circle again in the next race, the La Verendrye Stakes, when Sophia’s Storm ($3.40) and jockey Sven Balroop took the measure of multiple champion Burrow Down to win by a diminishing half a length over that rival for ownership partners Arnason Farms, Parker Wallette and James Keplin.

Burrow Down, trained by Murray Duncan for owner Gerald Babchishin, took a run at the winner on the turn under jockey Ronald Ali, and appeared to be put away, but she came back with a vengeance late to make it close at the wire. The winner also had to survive multiple foul claims, but none really had a serious chance of being upheld.

Keplin’s three stakes wins gave him a total of 17 wins on the season and vaulted him into a nine-win lead in the trainer standings over Mike Nault and Lise Pruitt with eight wins apiece, followed by Jared Brown, Wendy Anderson and Tom Gardipy, Jr., each with seven victories. Keplin is winning at an amazing 41% clip, and jockey Prayven Badrie is right there with him.

Badrie won six races including three stakes on the week to open up in the standings with 20 wins, three more than Sven Balroop, who won five races, and Damario Bynoe, who won two races on the week. Antonio Whitehall and Rachaad Knights round out the top five in the jockey standings with 12 and 10 wins respectively.

Wagering continued to be strong with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday’s handles coming in at 1.3 million, 1.4 million and close to 1.6 million respectively, bolstered by increasingly larger crowds enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

Aren’t we all!