From the Churchill Downs Media Team / Darren Rogers & Kevin Kerstein:
KEEP IT EASY DEFEATS TOUGH CATCH BY 5 ¼ LENGTHS IN $225,000 ED BROWN
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024) – Keep It Easy sat just off the pace, swung wide at the top of the lane and powered home down the stretch to win Saturday’s fourth running of the $225,000 Ed Brown for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs by 5 ¼ lengths over 4-5 favorite Tough Catch, who had a troubled trip while breaking from the rail.
Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Corey Lanerie, Keep It Easy covered the 6 ½ furlongs on a fast track in a stakes record 1:15.42 for owners St Elias Stable (Vincent Viola), West Point Thoroughbreds (Terry Finley) and CJ Thoroughbreds (Corey and C.J. Johnsen).
“He didn’t break all that well but being drawn outside I was able to see what everyone else did inside of me,” Lanerie said. “I let him settle and he took me into the right spot around the turn. He makes you a little nervous down the lane because he knows exactly where the wire is and does just what he needs to. Then he put his ears up as soon as we hit the wire and galloped out really well. He couldn’t blow a match out when we got back to the winners’ circle.”
A 2-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Hard Spun out of the English Channel mare Boxwood, Keep It Easy improved his record to 2-0-0 in four starts, added $135,245 to his bankroll and increased his earnings to $207,671.
Keep It Easy returned $7.38, $3.44 and $2.70 as the 5-2 second betting choice in the field of eight juvenile sprinters. Touch Catch, who was away in third and checked to fifth shortly after the start under Tyler Gaffalione, returned $2.38 and $2.10 with Glean finishing another six lengths back in third under Gerardo Corrales and paying $2.84 to show.
Thrilla, Vehemently, Coming In Hot, pacesetter El Dandi and Wisconsin Gal completed the order of finish.
After breaking his maiden by four lengths over six furlongs on closing week of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, Keep It Easy finished last at odds of 5-2 in the $200,000 Saratoga Special (Grade II) on Aug. 10 after a stumbling badly at the start.
“After stumbling as bad as he did in the Saratoga Special you never know how young horses will handle that mentally,” Romans said. “We’ve got a really nice horse on our hands and it was very impressive how he rebounded out of that race. I’m very proud of him. We have a lot of great people in this partnership including (Kentucky State) Senator Damon Thayer and it’s very special to be here celebrating with everyone today. On Stars of Tomorrow, they’re all Derby horses until they’re not.”
The winner was bred by Mr. and Mrs. William L. Pape.
ED BROWN QUOTES
Corey Lanerie (jockey, Keep It Easy, winner): “He didn’t break all that well but being drawn outside I was able to see what everyone else did inside of me. I let him settle and he took me into the right spot around the turn. He makes you a little nervous down the lane because he knows exactly where the wire is and does just what he needs to. Then he put his ears up as soon as we hit the wire and galloped out really well. He couldn’t blow a match out when we got back to the winners’ circle.”
Dale Romans (trainer, Keep It Easy, winner): “After stumbling as bad as he did in the Saratoga Special you never know how young horses will handle that mentally. We’ve got a really nice horse on our hands and it was very impressive how he rebounded out of that race. I’m very proud of him. We have a lot of great people in this partnership including Senator Damon Thayer and it’s very special to be here celebrating with everyone today. On Stars of Tomorrow, they’re all Derby horses until they’re not.”
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