Keertana to get back on winning ways in the Orchid Stakes
The 6-year-old Thomas F. Proctor trained mare, Keertana, has been consistent almost all her career, and with one glance at her stats, it becomes apparent that the mare has barely missed a finish on the money in her heavily raced career, but her critics would
argue that she has been unable to convert those consistent second’s and third’s in two solid victories to compare her in the same breath as the recent fantastic fillies of our times like Havre de Grace and Blind Luck.
Barbara Hunter’s homebred Keertana is yet to post a victory in her new campaign, where she has already started in 2 races. She kicked off her campaign with a run in the Grade 3 Endeavour Stakes at about 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs on 4 February, 2012,
where she finished third to winner, Zagora and runner up Exclusive Love.
The Kentucky bred Johar mare, came close as she has been all season in her second start when she was beaten by a mere length by winner, Here To Win, in the 1 3/8 mile long Grade 3 The Very One Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 25 February, 2012.
Keertana won The Very One Stakes back in 2011. She was posted 11 victories so far in her 28 career starts, with five grade 3 scores as she prepares for her 29th career start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Orchid Stakes on 31 March, 2012, at Gulfstream
Park’s turf course at about 1 ½ miles.
Out of mare Motokiks by Storm Cat, Keertana will be going against 8 other 4-year-old and above fillies and mares, and she has drawn the outside post but jockey J. Lezcano will bid farewell to the mare as Julien Leparoux takes over the mount.
“She’s been remarkable,” said Proctor of Keertana’s consistency. “The few times she’s missed the board, a number of them you can attribute to human error--mine--beginning with her first two races sprinting at Arlington (Polytrack)."
This is a great opportunity for Keertana to bounce back from two close back to back defeats, and this time she will be the likely favourite to win the Orchid Stakes.
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