Calumet Farm's Gin Gin has performed at her best both times she's previously raced at Keeneland, and her connections will hope an April 17 homecoming in the $400,0000 Doubledogdare Stakes (G2) will erase any lingering bad memories from the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
In that most recent start five months ago, Gin Gin popped the front of the gate open early and needed to be backed out of the starting gate to reset. Sent out to prompt the pace once breaking with the field, she had an early retreat down the backstretch and was eased.
The performance was quite shocking as it followed a career-best frontrunning effort in Keeneland's Spinster Stakes (G1) in October, defeating eventual champion 3-year-old filly Nitrogen by a head after outlasting the pace pressure provided by 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, who weakened to fourth.
Gin Gin, a 5-year-old homebred daughter of Hightail is 2-for-2 at Keeneland, preceding her Spinster win with a triumph in last year's Doubledogdare, which has since been elevated from grade 3 to 2. Trainer Brendan Walsh returned her to the worktab in late February and has her entering Friday's off a bullet half-mile work in :46 4/5 over the surface. Favored at 2-1, Gin Gin aims to break the million-dollar earnings mark as she currently sits at $942,796.
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Full of Run Racing and Madaket Stables' Alpine Princess, the 5-2 second choice, is also aiming to become a millionaire Friday with $978,465 already in the bank. The consistent daughter of Classic Empire, trained by Brad Cox, closed out her 2025 campaign with a milestone first graded victory in the Falls City Stakes (G3).
Her runner-up finish when making her 5-year-old debut in the Royal Delta Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Feb. 14 has been highly flattered since. The winner, Claret Beret, returned to win the April 11 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park and third-place finisher Eunomia, who is 9-2 in the Doubledogdare, exited to win a minor stakes at Colonial Downs last month.
St. Elias Stable, WSS Racing, Turf Express, and Stefania Farms' Eunomia is likely to be a pace presence for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., as is Stud TNT's grade 3 winner Running Away for trainer Wesley Ward.
All four of those runners are closely grouped below 5-1 in the 1 1/16-mile contest, and their remaining four rivals all sit in the double digits on the morning line. Fletcher and Carolyn Gray and Doug Hesterly's Peignoir does exit a stakes victory at Oaklawn Park March 21 over the same distance for Rodolphe Brisset, and trainer Todd Fincher sends Peacock Family Holdings' Aye Candy off a pair of stakes triumphs going shorter at Sunland Park.
Grade 1-placed Ourdaydreaminggirl and Chilled, last of five behind Gin Gin in the Spinster, round out the eight-horse field.
Keeneland, Friday, April 17, 2026, Race 9Entries: Baird Doubledogdare S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Alpine Princess (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Brad H. Cox 5/2 2 2Aye Candy (KY) John R. Velazquez 118 Todd W. Fincher 20/1 3 3Eunomia (KY) Flavien Prat 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 9/2 4 4Gin Gin (KY) Luis Saez 123 Brendan P. Walsh 2/1 5 5Ourdaydreaminggirl (KY) Jaime A. Torres 118 Louis C. Linder, Jr. 20/1 6 6Running Away (KY) Joel Rosario 118 Wesley A. Ward 4/1 7 7Peignoir (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Rodolphe Brisset 10/1 8 8Chilled (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Victoria H. Oliver 15/1
