Amy Gregory
Keeneland Association Inc.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Peter Callahan’s Beautician returned to Keeneland late Tuesday from Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, where she had spent the past three weeks.

“You could flip a coin as to which race is better and this (the Central Bank Ashland) is a Grade 1 and the Fantasy (at Oaklawn) is a Grade 2,” trainer Ken McPeek said. “Plus, she runs well on the Poly.”

Beautician, who galloped Wednesday morning at Keeneland under exercise rider Melanie Danwienski, is looking for a graded stakes victory that continues to elude her.

She has runner-up finishes in four graded stakes, including two in Grade 1 company in the Spinaway behind Hot Dixie Chick and in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies behind champion She Be Wild, whom she will face Saturday in the Central Bank Ashland.

In her 2010 debut on March 13 at Oaklawn, Beautician finished second in the Honeybee (G3).

“She’s doing very well and she had her last work at Oaklawn last Friday (1:00.80 for five furlongs, third-best of 23 at the distance),” McPeek said. “Robby (Albarado) will ride Saturday.”

VERSATILE UPPERLINE RETURNS TO POLYTRACK FOR CENTRAL BANK ASHLAND

Upperline enters Saturday’s $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) with a race record that shows versatility in her two wins in six starts. Last year, the Maria’s Mon filly was second to eventual champion She Be Wild in the Top Flight Stakes on Polytrack at Arlington Park. She then broke her maiden against males over Keeneland’s Polytrack, then was third in the Golden Rod (G2) on dirt at Churchill Downs.

“We know she likes the surface,” said trainer Mike Stidham, referring to Upperline’s victory at 1 1/16 miles on Keeneland’s Polytrack last October. “We felt like this was a good time to take a shot at a Grade 1, coming off the two good races at Gulfstream.”

Upperline opened her 3-year-old campaign on turf at Gulfstream, running fifth in the Coconut Grove on February 14 and third in the Herecomesthebride (G3) on March 6. She has worked twice at Keeneland, the most recent coming on March 28 when she breezed five furlongs in 1:02.40.

“She’s pretty easy to deal with,” Stidham said about Upperline, who will be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan and will break from post one in the Central Bank Ashland. “In her works, she’s pretty easy to do what you need to do with her. She’s got a really good disposition.”

Stidham, the fourth-leading trainer at the recent Fair Grounds meet with 26 wins, is a member of the partnership that owns Upperline, joining Arthur B. Hancock III’s Stone Farm, John H. Adger and Jack Hodge’s Oak Crest Farm. Adger is the former bloodstock and racing manager of Robert and Janice McNair’s Stonerside Stable, which bred Upperline, and he still manages the McNairs’ stallion interests. Hodge is vice president of Emerald Downs in Washington. For Oak Crest and Stonerside, Stidham trained Grade 1 winner Sutra.

PROTESTING COULD GIVE McGAUGHEY RECORD-TYING FOURTH ASHLAND VICTORY

Trainer Shug McGaughey has saddled the winner of the Ashland Stakes three times and on Saturday he will seek to join Woody Stephens at the top of leading Ashland trainers when he sends out the Phipps Stable’s Protesting in the 73rd running of the 1 1/16-mile race, now sponsored by Central Bank.

Protesting stamped her ticket to the Central Bank Ashland with a sharp work Sunday at Gulfstream Park before shipping to Keeneland.

“We had been planning on the Ashland, but if she hadn’t worked well, we would have gone in another direction,” McGaughey said of the half-mile work in :47.50. “She broke her maiden here last fall and her family says Polytrack. She is a half to Parading.”

Parading won the Ben Ali (G3) here last spring and was second to Blame in the Fayette (G2) on closing day of the 2009 Fall Meet.

Protesting, who galloped Wednesday morning at Keeneland, has had two starts this year at Gulfstream Park, finishing fourth in both.

“She had two good races in Florida, but her style worked against her,” McGaughey said. “At the quarter pole, you thought she’d win, but she finished fourth both times. It was just too hard to catch up down there.”

Javier Castellano, who rode Protesting in her most recent start, has the call Saturday for McGaughey, whose Ashland winners are Inside Information (1994), My Flag (1996) and Glitter Woman (1997).

In other Central Bank Ashland-related news, Tom and Marilyn Braly’s Evening Jewel arrived at Keeneland late Tuesday night and walked the shedrow Wednesday morning. Trainer James Cassidy is scheduled to arrive in Lexington on Wednesday night. … Jack Swain III’s Apple Charlotte was scheduled to arrive at Keeneland from Florida on Wednesday. … Alex Campbell Jr.’s It’s Tea Time walked the shedrow a day after working a half-mile in :50 for trainer Rusty Arnold. … Sovereign Stable’s Negligee walked Wednesday morning a day after working a half-mile in :49.60 for trainer John Terranova.

GIANT’S TOMB LOOKS TO MAKE GIANT LEAP FORWARD IN TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

Sam-Son Farms’ Giant’s Tomb figures to enter the 86th running of the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) on April 10 as somewhat of a mystery horse.

Unlike most of his expected rivals in the 1 1/8-mile test, Giant’s Tomb never has raced at Keeneland nor does he have a graded-stakes placing on his resume. But he was no mystery to his backers in New Orleans at Fair Grounds on March 22 in his most recent start when he won a two-turn allowance test by two lengths as the 1-2 favorite.

“There was a slow pace that day and he was closer than normal early on,” said Hugh Chatman, assistant to trainer Mark Frostad. “The time before that, he was sitting way back behind a faster pace and made a big run and just missed by a nose.”

Those efforts helped steer Giant’s Tomb toward a Toyota Blue Grass Bid. The Awesome Again colt arrived at Keeneland on Tuesday.

“The Blue Grass was always a possibility and we were just playing it by ear,” said Chatman, a longtime assistant to Frostad. “We figured we’d give him a shot. He is a hard horse to gauge because he is so laid back. He just does what he has to do.”

Frostad is scheduled to arrive in Lexington on Thursday night and will be on hand Saturday morning when Giant’s Tomb is scheduled to work five furlongs in company.

Giant’s Tomb galloped 1½ miles Wednesday morning with Chatman up.

GALLOPING OUT

Donegal Racing’s Paddy O’Prado is scheduled to have his final work in advance of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with jockey Kent Desormeaux slated to be in the saddle. Winner of the Palm Beach (G3) at Gulfstream Park in his most recent start on March 6, Paddy O’Prado galloped a mile and a half Wednesday morning under Mary Doser. …The probable field for the Toyota Blue Grass stands at seven with three of the horses considered as probable by Racing Secretary Ben Huffman on the grounds. In addition to Paddy O’Prado, Toyota Blue Grass probables at Keeneland are Codoy and Giant’s Tomb. Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner Odysseus is expected to arrive April 4, and Pasadena Stakes winner Make Music for Me is scheduled for an April 6 arrival. Other probables are the Todd Pletcher-trained duo of three-time graded stakes-placed Aikenite and two-time Grade 3 winner Interactif. Champagne (G1) winner Homeboykris is considered as possible for the Toyota Blue Grass by Huffman…

Jockey James Graham is closing in on the 1,000-victory milestone.  The 30-year-old native of Ireland has 996 career victories and is named on six mounts Friday. Graham posted his first Grade 1 win here last fall when he guided Hot Cha Cha to victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

KEENELAND 2010 OPENING WEEKEND SPECIAL EVENTS

Friday, April 2: College Scholarship Day. Full-time college students can register to win one of ten $1,000 college scholarships and grand prizes to be given away following each race. The first 1,000 students to register will receive a free T-shirt courtesy of Hands On Originals.

Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3: The Keeneland Gift Shop presents Peter Williams Artwork Showing and Kaki Hats Trunk Show.

Saturday, April 3: Breakfast With the Works, featuring Southern-style breakfast and children’s activities, beginning at 7 a.m. Breakfast is $7.50; kids three and under eat free. Farrier Hans Albrecht will talk about horse shoeing. The paddock demonstration, which begins at 8:45 a.m., will feature Central Kentucky Riding for Hope.

Saturdays: Free handicapping seminar. At 11:30 a.m. trackside, and conducted by Tom Law, managing editor of Thoroughbred Times.