Keeneland Fall Meet begins with a powerful lineup of accomplished and aspiring superstars
For three weeks in the spring and three weeks in the fall, Lexington enjoys Keeneland Race Course on a variety of levels.
Maybe it’s the non-stop social event so many prefer. Perhaps the attraction is the food, the people-watching, the gambling or the fall colors.
So many reasons, right?
However, if your reason is because you love to see the stars of the sport, the thoroughbreds, in person, this is your moment. Opening weekend for the 2023 Fall Meet at Keeneland — known at the racetrack as Fall Stars Weekend — gets underway Friday.
Last year, Keeneland offered visitors a close-up look at 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in Lexington in history-making fashion.
The Breeders’ Cup has moved on to Santa Anita Park in California for this year’s edition but the Keeneland Fall Meet traditionally stations itself as the final proving ground for thoroughbred racing’s world championships.
So that means many of the horses you’ll watch there on NBC next month will be tuning up here this month.
Here are some of the stars to watch for this weekend.
Locked — This Todd Pletcher 2-year-old attracted attention last month by winning a maiden special weight event at Saratoga by 7 ¼ lengths. That earned the colt the nod as the 7-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $600,000, Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, a win-and-you’re-in race for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and a qualifying points race toward next year’s Kentucky Derby.
Brightwork — The 9-5 favorite in Friday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, Brightwork is undefeated in four career starts, including victories in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes and Grade 3 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga this summer. The Darley Alcibiades is a qualifying points race on the road to the 2024 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
In Italian — This 5-year-old mare from Great Britain is the clear 4-5 favorite and the defending champion in a field of eight for Saturday’s $750,000, Grade 1 First Lady Stakes. The Chad Brown trainee always hits the board, having won seven times, finished second four times and third once from 12 career starts. In Italian has won two Grade 1 races among her three starts this year, including the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland last spring.
Annapolis — This 4-year-old trained by Todd Pletcher returns to Keeneland to defend his title in Saturday’s $1 million, Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes for older horses. Annapolis, the 6-1 fourth choice in a field of nine Saturday, has won six times and finished second four times in 12 career starts. The winner of the Coolmore Turf Mile earns an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Set Piece — Testing Annapolis in the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes will be Set Piece, a 7-year-old gelding from Great Britain who won the Grade 1 Arlington Million Stakes for trainer Brad Cox in his most recent start on Aug. 12. Set Piece, the 5-1 third choice in the Turf Mile, has won 13 of 29 career starts but has never competed in a Breeders’ Cup. Master of The Seas (2-1) and Up to the Mark (5-2) are the top choices in the Turf Mile Stakes.
West Saratoga — Winner of the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes in his most recent start at Churchill Downs last month, West Saratoga is a 20-1 choice in the field of nine for Saturday’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity.
The Wine Steward — Undefeated in three starts, this 2-year-old trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Luis Saez, is also pointed toward Saturday’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (8-1) with eyes on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile later down the road.
Yuugiri — Saturday’s $350,000, Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes for older fillies and mares is headlined by 2-1 morning-line favorite Yuugiri, who was bred by Japan’s Sekie and Tsunebumi Yoshihara. She finished 13th in last year’s Kentucky Oaks but has won four races since.
Nest — Winner of eight races in 13 career starts, this 4-year-old filly has six graded stakes victories to her name, including three Grade 1 wins. Nest is the 6-5 morning-line favorite for Sunday’s $600,000, Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes. Expected to challenge in the field of seven is Brad Cox-trained Idiomatic (7-5), winner of three consecutive races and seven of 10 overall, including the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga in August.
Aiming for 5,000th win
The thoroughbreds could not become stars without the men and women risking their necks riding them to glory, and Keeneland visitors will want to keep their eyes on one jockey in particular on opening day.
Corey Lanerie, Keeneland’s sixth-leading rider of all time by wins, will secure his 5,000th career victory if Manny Wah wins the $350,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix. The duo won the race last year and are the fourth choice this year in a field of 11 at morning-line odds of 6-1.
A longtime regular on the Kentucky circuit, Lanerie, 48, rode his first winner at Keeneland during the 2000 Fall Meet and was the track’s leading jockey of the 2015 Fall Meet. He has won 13 stakes here.
Only 37 North American jockeys have won 5,000 races.
Among jockeys listed as active, Lanerie is 12th behind Perry Ouzts (7,417 wins as of Oct. 3) and John Velazquez (6,537). The overall leader is Russell Baze (12,842) followed by Laffit Pincay Jr. (9,530), Bill Shoemaker (8,833), Pat Day (8,803) and Ouzts.
This weekend’s graded stakes at Keeneland
Friday
4:12 p.m.: $350,000, Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes
4:44 p.m.: $350,000, Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes
5:16 p.m.: $600,000, Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes
Saturday
3:40 p.m.: $350,000, Grade 2, Woodford Stakes
4:12 p.m.: $350,000, Grade 2, Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes
4:43 p.m.: $750,000, Grade 1, First Lady Stakes
5:14 p.m.: $600,000, Grade 1, Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stakes
5:45 p.m.: $1 million, Grade 1, Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes
Sunday
5:16 p.m.: $600,000, Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes
5:48 p.m.: $350,000, Grade 2 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes