Three Chimneys Farm and trainer John Ennis' Great White tuned up for his dirt racing debut in the April 4 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) by working a half-mile in company in :47 3/5 over a fast track March 29.
Working with the 3-year-old maiden Just Munny and exercise rider Omar Torres, Great White started 2 lengths behind his stablemate and finished 2 lengths in front with fractions of :35 3/5, :47 3/5, and galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:01 1/5.
"He started off slow but then flew down the lane and (jockey) Alex (Achard) had a hard time pulling him up," Ennis said. "It was a sharper work compared to last week (a half-mile in :52.60) when we wanted him to get a feel for the track."
Great White is based nearby at The Thoroughbred Center, where he returned after the work. Ennis said Great White would come back to Keeneland April 1 or 2 and would have a morning paddock schooling session prior to the Blue Grass.
Great White has won two of three starts over the Tapeta surface at Turfway Park, taking the Feb. 21 John Battaglia Memorial in his most recent race. That is the same race Epic Ride finished second in two years ago, prior to his dirt debut in the Blue Grass, in which he finished third behind Sierra Leone . Epic Ride then raced in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
"They are different horses, and this one is probably a better horse. He has a high cruising speed," Ennis said. "Epic Ride has some distance limitations, but a mile-and-an-eighth or a mile-and-a-quarter is not an issue with (Great White). It would be interesting to go to the (Kentucky) Derby with him."
WALSH BRINGS BACK BREEDERS' CUP RUNNERS FOR 2026 DEBUTS
Brendan Walsh, who shared the 2025 Spring Meet training title with Brad Cox, has his runners positioned for a fast start to this year's 15-day Keeneland Spring Meet, which begins April 3.
Two of those runners, Clicquot and Imaginationthelady, will be making their 2026 debuts after closing their 2025 campaigns with fourth-place finishes in the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar.
"Clicquot worked nice yesterday," Walsh said of the :48 1/5 half-mile breeze. "The (7-furlong) Madison on Saturday is a good place to come back."
Winner of the Indiana Oaks (G3) and the Cotillion Stakes (G1), Clicquot finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). She is owned by the partnership of X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables, SF Racing, and Blue Horseshoe Racing.
Mark Dobbin's Imaginationthelady, winner of last fall's Jessamine Stakes (G2T), worked a half-mile in :51 on the grass Sunday morning in preparation for Saturday's Appalachian Stakes (G2T). She had finished fourth of 12 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) to close 2025.
Imaginationthelady is expected to be joined in the Appalachian starting gate by stablemate Lion Lake, who is owned by Emcee Stable. Lion Lake won the Feb. 28 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park in her most recent start and worked a half-mile on the turf in :51 1/5 Sunday morning at Keeneland.
Also working on the grass for Walsh was JDT Racing's Vasy. Winner of Gulfstream's Colonel Liam Stakes in his most recent start, Vasy breezed a half-mile in :51 1/5 for Friday's Transylvania Stakes (G3T).
Walsh, who won seven Keeneland stakes in 2025, also plans to run Dawn and Ike Thrash's Carson Street, in Friday's first stakes race, the 7-furlong Lafayette Stakes. Carson Street would be cutting back to one turn after running third in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) and fifth in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots this winter. Carson Street worked a half-mile in :48 3/5 on Keeneland's main track Sunday morning.
KEENELAND OFFERS FIRST RATINGS HANDICAP
For April 15, the eighth day of Keeneland's 15-day Spring Meet, the condition book offers a new type of race: a "ratings handicap." Worth $84,000, the 6 1/2-furlong event for 4-year-olds and up is for horses with performance numbers (85-75) derived from previous performances based on speed, finish position, competition, and other factors.
Developed by Equibase, the Thoroughbred industry's official database, the ratings system was designed to simplify eligibility requirements, improve race competitiveness, and attract larger fields. It differs from Equibase Speed Figures, which measure how fast a horse has run in past races.
"I am excited about having our first ratings handicap at Keeneland," racing secretary Ben Huffman said. "Equibase has put a lot of time and energy into developing the ratings handicap system. Although it is in the early stages, Keeneland is happy to offer a handful of these. We have started with two ratings handicaps and can add a few more if necessary before the meet ends on April 24."
Entries for Keeneland's first ratings handicap will be taken April 8.
A second ratings handicap (85-75), a 6-furlong race for older fillies and mares, is in the condition book for April 23. Entries for that race will be taken April 16.
Click here for more information from Equibase.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
