Lexington trainer’s fillies step up big on opening day of Keeneland Fall Meet
The first two pieces of the picture for the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships came into focus Friday during the opening of the 17-day Fall Meet at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington.
Simply Ravishing, the 2-1 favorite, easily won the $350,000, Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes under jockey Luis Saez, earning an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The New York-bred filly trained by Lexington native Kenny McPeek pulled away in the stretch for a 7-length victory. She’s now undefeated in three career races, all of which have come in 2020.
Crazy Beautiful, the 5-2 morning-line favorite also trained by McPeek, finished second by 6 1/4 lengths in the field of seven. Yet another McPeek trainee, Oliviaofthedesert, wound up fifth.
“They are both really special fillies,” McPeek said after winning the Darley Alcibiades for the fifth time. “I kind of hated to run them against each other, but it is a race we are obviously fond of and we felt like we had a heck of a chance with both of them in there. We will probably go to the Breeders’ Cup with both of them. I told (D. Wayne) Lukas a long time ago that I would win more Alcibiades than him (Lukas has six wins in the race).”
McPeek’s most accomplished current filly, Swiss Skydiver, is set to run Saturday in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
In the contest prior to the Darley Alcibiades, Diamond Oops scored a victory in the $200,000, Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes for 3-year-olds, securing a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Under Florent Geroux, the 5-year-old bay gelding made a strong move late in the stretch and overtook 51-1 long shot Empire of Gold.
“I was trying to time it right because when he makes the lead he’ll throw his heels up a little bit and slow himself down,” Geroux said. “I was just trying to time it right. When he saw the horse (Empire of Gold) as his target, I knew we were going to get him.”
With the win, Diamond Oops eclipsed $1 million in career earnings. The son of Lookin At Lucky now has seven wins in 16 career starts.
The Breeders’ Cup will be contested over two days — Nov. 6-7 — at Keeneland. It will be the second time the track has hosted the Breeders’ Cup. The first was 2015.
The Alcibiades and Phoenix were the highlights of a 10-race card that kicked off Keeneland’s annual Fall Stars Weekend. Like years prior, the 2020 Fall Stars Weekend schedule is peppered with Breeders’ Cup prep contests.
Super Saturday
While the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland will be the main focus of the horse racing world on Saturday, there’s plenty of drama on tap in Lexington.
Saturday will mark the single most consequential afternoon of racing during Keeneland’s Fall Meet. The 12-race card includes five of the meet’s 18 graded-stakes contests.
Bowies Hero will look to defend his title in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile in Race No. 10 with an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on the line. One of his main obstacles will be 5-2 morning-line favorite Halladay, who won the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga last time out.
Uni will defend her title against a talented field in the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes in race No. 8. The winner of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Mile has morning-line odds of 5-2. Among Uni’s chief rivals will be fellow Chad Brown trainee Newspaperofrecord, a two-time Grade 1 winner with odds of 8-5.
An automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile will be on the line in race No. 9, the $400,000, Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for 2-year-olds. At odds of 2-1, Essential Quality is the morning-line favorite. Founder, who broke his maiden during his debut at Saratoga in August, is the 5-2 second choice.
Also on the schedule Saturday are the $200,000, Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America for fillies and mares (race No. 7) and the $150,000, Grade 2 Woodford Stakes turf race for 3-year-olds and up (No. 6).
Long time coming
The Fall Meet kicked off Friday with the achievement of a long-sought milestone for one 3-year-old colt.
Vasariano scored his first career victory in the day’s first race, a $50,000 maiden claiming event. Vasariano failed to hit the board in the first nine races of his career. Vasariano took over the lead in the backstretch and pulled away. At 7-1 odds, he paid $17.60 for the win. Patriot’s War, a 13-1 shot, finished second to complete an exacta that returned $68 for a $1 bet.
Proud papa
In Friday’s sixth race, Lady Lilly took the lead in the final turn and held on for a thrilling win. It was the first victory at Keeneland by a horse sired by 2016 Kentucky Derby champion Nyquist.
Lady Lilly has now won two of her three career starts. After breaking her maiden at Saratoga in August, she finished third in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at the same track.
COVID caution
Like its unprecedented one-week meet this summer, Keeneland’s Fall Meet is being held without fans because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Only a limited number of media members and track personnel are allowed at the facility on race days.
Likewise, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships are scheduled to be run without members of the general public on site. In 2015, during the Breeders’ Cup’s debut at Keeneland, Nyquist won the Juvenile. It was the only time Nyquist raced at Keeneland.
Keeneland 2020 Fall Meet
When: Through Oct. 24 (no spectators allowed)
Race days: Saturday and Sunday this weekend, then Wednesday through Sunday thereafter.
First post: 1:05 p.m.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 6:22 PM.
