Chamberlain Bridge will carry top weight of 124 pounds in the Shakertown Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland April 16. That shouldn’t be much of a hinderance considering he carried 126 pounds when winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs in November.
The Shakertown, 5 1/2 furlongs instead of five furlongs like the Turf Sprint, has attracted a field of nine runners and is scheduled to go off as the sixth race at 3:53 p.m. on the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) undercard.
Chamberlain Bridge, a millionaire, sports 17 wins from 32 starts. The son of War Chant has raced once since the Breeders’ Cup, winning the Rail Splitter Stakes at Sam Houston in February. He finished a close fourth in last year’s Shakertown and will break from the outside in this year’s running. Jamie Theriot rides again for trainer Bret Calhoun.
Silver Timber, who will carry 121 pounds, three pounds more than each of the other seven contestants will tote, has shown an extreme liking for Keeneland. The son of Prime Timber captured last year’s Shakertown, plus the 2009-10 Woodford Stakes (gr. IIIT) at the fall meeting. Julien Leparoux, who rode him in the three Keeneland wins, rides again.
Stratford Hill, who has yet to run in a stakes, is riding a three-race win streak. All three of the wins came sprinting on grass at Gulfstream this year. Stratford Hill, by recently pensioned A.P. Indy, gets a new jockey in John Velazquez.
Goldzar, second in the Rail Splitter by a length, is looking for his first stakes win. He ran third in the 2009 Woodford. Shane Sellers, who rode him in the Rail Splitter, will ride.
Great Attack has shown some spark this year in his two races. He started out running second in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint and then lost by a neck in the Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in February.
Strike Impact, who will be ridden in the Shakertown by Robby Albarado, also has started out well this year. The son of Smart Strike ran second, beaten a head, in the Colonel Power at Fair Grounds in February.
Others in field are Grand Adventure, Kennessey, and Southern Region.
$100,000 Shakertown Stakes (gr. IIIT, Race 6, 3:53 p.m. EDT), 3-year-olds and up, 5 1/2 furlongs turf)
Post Horse Jockey Weight Trainer
1 Goldzar S J Sellers 118 R J Granger
2 Grand Adventure J Rosario 118 M R Frostad
3 Kennessey F Lenclud 118 C Speckert
4 Silver Timber J Leparoux 121 C C Brown
5 Strike Impact R Albarado 118 P J Dupuy
6 Great Attack J Sanchez 118 W A Ward
7 Stratford Hill J Velazquez T A Pletcher
8 Southern Region C J Lanerie R W Werner
9 Chamberlain Bridge J Theriot 124 W B Calhoun