Keeneland’s Fall Stars Weekend gets off to a terrific start on Friday, with a trio of Breeders’ Cup Challenge events highlighting the opening-day card.
The $600,000 Alcibiades (G1) serves as a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), the $350,000 Jessamine (G2) plays the same role for the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), and the $350,000 Phoenix (G2) offers a free berth to the Sprint (G1).
Alcibiades (G1): Race 9, 5:16 p.m. ET
In addition to his Breeders’ Cup perk, the Alcibiades is a scoring race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The 1 1/16-mile feature is worth points on the 10-5-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers.
The trifecta from the seven-furlong Spinaway (G1) — unbeaten Immersive, tough-beat runner-up Quietside, and closing third Sherbini — get a rematch around two turns on Friday.
The Brad Cox-trained Immersive, who drew the rail last time and switched out to rally, will break from the outside post here. The Godolphin homebred should handle the added distance as a daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) champion Nyquist and a Bernardini mare.
Yet Quietside has a case to turn the tables. The John Ortiz pupil endured a more challenging trip from post 11 in the Spinaway, where she chased the fast pace and may have struck the front a shade too soon. With a better passage at Keeneland, Quietside could reverse her 1 1/4-length deficit with Immersive.
Also exiting the Spinaway is fifth-placer The Queens M G, who was bidding for a rare sweep of the Saratoga series after capturing the Schuylerville S. and Adirondack (G3). Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has cross-entered her to Saturday’s Frizette (G1) at Aqueduct.
Liam in the Dust was a fine runner-up in the first Road to the Kentucky Oaks event, the Pocahontas (G3) around a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs. She gets a rider switch to Flavien Prat, with her former jockey Luis Saez remaining aboard Quietside.
Sharp Saratoga maiden winner Quickick makes her stakes debut for Tom Amoss, but she sports form with Pocahontas winner La Cara. In her Spa unveiling on Aug. 11, Quickick was a belated third to the more experienced La Cara.
Rich City Girl, who was second as the favorite in the Ellis Park Debutante, came back to win a sprint allowance at Kentucky Downs. The Larry Rivelli pupil therefore employs the turf-to-dirt angle simultaneously with her two-turn debut.
Rounding out the field is Eddie Kenneally’s Continuity, 2-for-2 so far sprinting six furlongs at Ellis Park and Colonial Downs.
Jessamine (G2): Race 8, 4:44 p.m. ET
An overflow field of 16, including four also-eligibles, crowds the entry box for the 1 1/16-mile Jessamine.
Among them were three originally intended for Sunday’s Miss Grillo (G2) at Aqueduct, only to have it postponed for a week. Chad Brown’s Virgin Colada, the morning-line Miss Grillo favorite, has ended up as the third on the also-eligible list at Keeneland. Safely in the main body of the Jessamine field are May Day Ready, the unbeaten winner of the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, and Correto, victorious in her debut at the Franklin, Kentucky, venue.
Indeed, the overwhelming majority of the contenders competed at Kentucky Downs. The exceptions are Totally Justified and Virgin Colada, the top two from Saratoga’s P.G. Johnson S., and Italian Soiree, who exits a fourth in the Natalma (G1) at Woodbine.
A few Juvenile Fillies alumnae hope to reverse form with May Day Ready — third-placer She’s Got Will (who’s the second also-eligible here), closing fifth Sashay Away, and sixth Somethinabouther.
Shezafunkydrummer stretches out after her runner-up effort in the 6 1/2-furlong Untapable S., where Give Life (the first also-eligible) retreated to fifth.
The Kentucky Downs maiden winners stepping up in class are Brown’s Ballerina d’Oro, Cox’s Destino d’Oro, Isle of Capri, Mechaya, Miss Lonelle, and Daisy Flyer (the fourth also-eligible).
Phoenix (G2): Race 7, 4:12 p.m. ET
Nakatomi, second as the favorite in last year’s Phoenix, looks to take care of unfinished business in the six-furlong dash. Having established his Grade/Group 1 bona fides when third in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and in the March 30 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) on World Cup night, the Wesley Ward veteran scored a deserved breakthrough in the July 27 Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1).
Comedy Town ventures up in grade after winning three straight at Gulfstream Park, including the Smile Sprint and the Benny the Bull S. Scratched from this past Saturday’s Vosburgh (G3) in favor of Keeneland, Comedy Town is joined by fellow Joseph trainee Swirvin.
Up-and-coming Federal Judge signaled his readiness for a class test when wiring a Saratoga allowance. The Cox pupil promises to flash speed on the rail here. At the opposite end of the career arc are millionaire Manny Wah, the 2022 Phoenix hero, and divisional stalwart Here Mi Song. Vanderbilt fifth My Buddy B came back to win a minor stakes at Parx, and sophomore Banjo Chris makes an audacious stakes debut.
