[2] After the Travers Stakes win, Keen Ice went on a 22-month losing streak, during which his most noteworthy accomplishments were fourth and third place finishes in the Breeders' Cup Classic of 2015 and 2016 respectively.

He finally returned to the winners circle in the 2017 Suburban Handicap, then finished second in both the Whitney Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

[6] Keen Ice was bred by Glencrest Farm and first sold as a weanling for $48,000 at the 2012 Keeneland breeding stock sale.

[14] On his first appearance as a four-year-old, Keen Ice finished sixth in the Donn Handicap and was then shipped to Dubai to contest the Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3 over ten furlongs on dirt at Meydan Racecourse on March 6.

He was made second favorite but started poorly and was never in contention, finishing seventh of the twelve runners, more than eleven lengths behind the winner Special Fighter.

Following an eighth place finish in the Dubai World Cup, Keen Ice was transferred from the barn of Dale Romans to Todd Pletcher and laid up for six months.

Keen Ice made his first start of 2017 on January 28 in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park,[15] finishing fourth.

[2] On the week of the race, owner Jerry Crawford announced that Keen Ice's breeding rights had been sold to Calumet Farm.

On returning to the United States, Pletcher gave Keen Ice some time off at Calumet Farm, then entered him in the Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park on July 8.

Shaman Ghost, the odds-on favorite, moved to the lead as they entered the stretch with Keen Ice advancing steadily on the outside.