Key of Life

Key of Life, a Mo Town filly, made her debut for trainer Brad Cox on June 25, 2022, in a five-furlong race at Churchill Downs. She had a slow start and finished a distant third as the 2-5 favorite and did not start again until Churchill’s lone day of racing in August. Once again sent off as the heavy favorite, Key of Life validated her 0.66-1 odds by romping in a six-furlong sprint on Aug. 13.

The filly next surfaced during Keeneland’s fall meet and was a highlight of the event, posting back-to-back open-length wins in a six-furlong allowance optional claiming race and then in the Myrtlewood Stakes, which she took by 6 ¾ lengths. She concluded her 2-year-old season with a third-place finish in the Fern Creek Stakes back at Churchill Downs in November.

Cox brought Key of Life back for her 3-year-old bow in the six-furlong Dixie Belle Stakes Feb. 11 at Oaklawn Park, but the filly disappointed at favored 6-5 odds when third over a muddy track. She rebounded to post a sharp 3 ¼-length win in Oaklawn’s Purple Martin Stakes on March 25, again racing six furlongs, and then was sent back to Keeneland for a graded stakes debut in the Beaumont Stakes, held at about seven furlongs on the main track.

Key of Life improved to 3-for-3 at Keeneland and successfully handled extra distance with a gritty neck win over Interpolate in the Grade 3 Beaumont. The filly is out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Longride to Wisdom and is from the family of Grade 2 winner and sire Kantharos.