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Time to Dazzle Rolls Home to Defend Title in Franklin on Sunday at Keeneland

Tracy Farmer’s Time to Dazzle rolled by her rivals in the stretch to defend her title in Sunday’s 30th running of the $400,000 Franklin (G2) for fillies and mares sprinting on the turf at Keeneland.

The 5-year-old Not This Time mare secured her second win in the 5½-furlong Franklin under Irad Ortiz Jr. for trainer Mark Casse. She won by a nose from Kehoe Beach, who wrested the lead late from longshot Itzel before being caught on the wire. Time to Dazzle won in 1:04.52 as the 2-1 favorite in the field of seven. 

Time to Dazzle, a $310,000 graduate of the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, won last year’s Franklin by 3¼ lengths for her lone victory in six starts in 2005. She showed her fondness for Keeneland’s turf course again Sunday, storming home for her first victory in her seventh start of 2026.

Second in both the Hendrie (G3) at Woodbine and the Never Say Die Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint (G1) at Kentucky Downs in her last two starts, Time to Dazzle came away well and settled at the back of the field early. Itzel, the 35-1 outsider in the field, took control under Edgar Morales and led Usha, Pondering and Ag Bullet up the backstretch and through the opening quarter-mile in :22.47 over the yielding course. 

Itzel continued to lead around the turn and turned for home in front with Kehoe Beach and Jose Ortiz tracking to her outside. Time to Dazzle still raced in sixth at the three-sixteenths pole. Fourth with a furlong to run, she passed rivals on the outside ahead of another closer, Movin’ On Up. 

Kehoe Beach came away with the lead inside the final sixteenth and looked to be on the way to her second win in three starts on Keeneland’s turf course before Time to Dazzle nipped her at the finish. Itzel finished 1¼ lengths back in third and a length clear of Movin’ On Up in fourth. Usha, Pondering and Ag Bullet completed the field. 

Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Rodney Orr and out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Staria, Time to Dazzle improved to 5-for-21 and collected $241,800 to boost her bankroll to $1,421,521. 

Time to Dazzle returned $6.10, $3.30 and $2.80. Kehoe Beach paid $4.34 and $3.20 and Itzel returned $6.82. 

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Racing resumes Wednesday with an eight-race card beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Keeneland will offer a Pick 6 carryover of $20,386.49.

Special events during the upcoming week of Keeneland racing include College Scholarship Day Presented by Lane’s End on Friday, Oct. 16 and Heroes Day on Sunday, Oct. 18.