Jenny Wiley – (Grade l)

Purse $650.000 – For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward

1 1/16 Miles – Turf

Keeneland – April 11, 2026

What a field we have at Keeneland on Saturday in the 22nd edition of the Jenny Wiley Stakes. Multiple Grade One winners, Breeders Cup Champions, a Kentucky Oaks Winner, and the 2023-2024 HRP Turf Female of the Year. Also, the fillies and mares entered in this race have won over $18,000.000 in purse money combined! So yes, it’s a field loaded with class and separating them won’t be easy. Mo Mentum Farm and TwinTowersRacing are both seeking their second win here, which would move them alongside Mb Stables and Maletto for the most wins in the Jenny Wiley. A Little Oblivion set the stakes record in 2011, stopping the clock in 1:39.18—a time that remains the track record for 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Keeneland. Let’s take a closer look and see who will rise to claim her place among the race’s past champions!

1. Beach Towel – (Winning Link Stables, B. Curtis) After starting her career on the dirt, connections decided to try her on the turf in May 2025. She’s had three graded stakes wins since then, highlighted by a victory in the First Lady. The only bad race Beach Towel has run on the grass was in the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf, where the 1 ⅜ mile distance proved to be too far. So far this year, she has had a third-place finish and is coming off a win in the Buena Vista at Santa Anita. That effort posted a 100 SRF figure, which is an extremely competitive number against this field. There’s little doubt this mare will show up with a strong effort, but others appear slightly more appealing in this spot.

2. Decimas Queen – (Maxmillion Farm, D Z. Gaskin) It doesn’t matter if it’s short, long, dirt, or turf, this daughter of Decima has done it all. She’s had twenty-two lifetime starts and eight of those have come on the grass. Decimas Queen spent most of last year running on the lead in two-turn dirt races, coming away with only one victory in an open allowance. There were a couple of turf races in the fall as well, but she didn’t make much of an impact. The last time we saw her was in the Hillsborough at Tampa Bay Downs, where she finished second behind Lady Hilltopper. This is going to be her biggest test yet on the sod and she’s unfortunately running into a couple of monsters.

3. Painville – (Mo Mentum Farm, F. Geroux) The 2023-2024 HRP Turf Female of the Year. Now eight-years-old, she’s still running at the top level and is putting up some high-speed figures. Painville had nine starts last year, with four seconds and two thirds. She missed twice by a neck at Saratoga and Kentucky Downs before ending her year in the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Drawn all the way on the outside, she managed to set the pace and crossed the wire for fourth. The same tactics were used in her last start at Santa Anita, only yielding in the final stages to save third place. The only question mark for this mare is that she hasn’t found the winner’s circle since November 2024.

4. Credit Crime – (Aer Stables, I. Ortiz Jr.) Arguably had one of the best three-year-old seasons ever seen on HRP and is undefeated in two turf starts. She has eleven wins out of seventeen starts and has only been out of the money once. Credit Crime had six wins last year and raked up over $3,300.000 in purse money. Not only did she close from last to win the Kentucky Oaks, but connections also took a shot against the boys and entered in the Belmont Stakes. Irad Ortiz maneuvered her through traffic and fell short at the wire to finish third by a neck. The Dueling Grounds Oaks and the American Oaks were her only two turf races, winning both in comfortable fashion. An absolutely incredible filly.

5. Lady Hilltopper – (Black N Gold Stable, J R. Velazquez) From a $14.000 claim in 2022 to over $5,000.000 in total earnings, this daughter of Pinnacle West has put together a remarkable career. She’s had forty starts with twenty wins, eighteen of those coming in graded stakes company. Lady Hilltopper is currently on a four-race win streak since winning the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf last year. She started this year with a victory in the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf and most recently captured the Hillsborough Stakes by a comfortable margin. It’s clear that Lady Hilltopper is in the best form of her career and peaking at exactly the right time coming into this race. My top pick.

6. Beach Body – (TwinTowersRacing, M. Franco) At the end of 2025, Beach Body made the jump into stakes company and appeared to lose her form as connections stretched her out in distance. She had two ninth place finishes and a sixth-place finish. However, last time out she had a breakthrough performance in the Fox Stakes at Gulfstream Park, winning by a length after adding Lasix. Looking at her prior starts, she seems to run her best when close to the pace. Most importantly, this five-year-old mare gets back to the 1 1/16 mile distance, which she is familiar with. It’s definitely possible that Beach Body is stepping up after her win, but she is in much deeper waters facing this field.

– AJM

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES