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Clock Tower Powers Home to Win Green Lantern Purse at Keeneland

Mrs. Fitriani Hay’s Clock Tower uncorked a strong rally in the stretch to win the featured $150,000 Green Lantern Purse going 5½ furlongs on the turf Thursday at Keeneland. 

Jose Ortiz rode the 4-year-old Not This Time gelding in the allowance event for 3-year-olds and up for one of his three winners on the card. He also won the first on Revel Toast and the seventh aboard Atropa. 

Trained by Wesley Ward and the 5-2 second choice in the field of seven, Clock Tower won for the second straight start after taking a 6½-furlong turf allowance Aug. 30 at Kentucky Downs. The $100,000 graduate of the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale also won for the first time in four tries on the Keeneland turf course. 

Mondogetsbuckets took the lead from the start ahead of 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) winner Nobals and covered the opening quarter in :21.72. Luis Saez kept Mondogetsbuckets on the lead around the turn and spurted away from Nobals and Master of Light approaching the quarter-pole. Mondogetsbuckets and Nobals edged away in the lane while Clock Tower, fifth turning for home, started to rally through the stretch. 

Clock Tower rallied from third inside the final furlong to win by a length over Mondogetsbuckets in 1:03.27 on the good turf course. Nobals, the 6-1 fourth choice under Gerardo Corrales, finished another 2¼ lengths back in third, with 36-1 longshot Dhabab (IRE) fourth. Script, Master of Light and 2-1 favorite Golden Afternoon completed the field. 

Clock Tower, the 5-2 second choice, returned $7.80, $3.94 and $3.18. Mondogetsbuckets paid $7.08 and $4.82, while Nobals paid $3.96. 

With the performance, Nobals reached $2,001,162 in career earnings.

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Friday is the penultimate day of the Keeneland Fall Meet. The 10-race card begins at 1 p.m.

Two stakes will be run tomorrow. Race 8 (4:44 p.m.) is the seventh running of the $300,000 Dean Dorton Myrtlewood (L) for 2-year-old fillies racing 6 furlongs. Race 9 (5:16 p.m.) is the 36th running of the $400,000 Bank of America Valley View (G2) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile on the turf.