KeenelandThe Fall Encounter opens on 7 October with the backdrop of the Breeder’s Cup adding to the excitement and anticipation. Keeneland will host the Breeders’ Cup on November 4-5.
Running through October 29, 17 race days include 22 matches – 12 on grass and 10 on land. There will be 11 stake races within the Fall Stars Three-Day Weekend, October 7-9. Nine of these will be “Win and You’re In” races as part of the Challenge Series The Breeder’s Cup presented by America’s Best Racing Team.
“Everybody loves the Breeders’ Cup and it’s great to have it here in Kentucky and this year, I guess, especially next weekend, you’ve got a lot of important preconditions for the Breeders’ Cup so so It makes it even more special,” said coach Brendan Walsh. “Obviously we’re looking forward to that. Keeneland itself is a magical place. Everyone wants to win and you know you’ll have the best horses at the end of the year to compete against. It’s really just a racing fan’s dream, isn’t it?”
Walsh will be one of the busier trainers on opening day with five horses set to compete, including a 3-year-old Sightstown dirty Seabrook. The Godolphin hybrid will have its first race of about seven feet on the main track in a second race on Friday.
“I’ve had a first warm-up, which is always nice, especially if you’re running in Keeneland,” says Walsh. “You wouldn’t run them in Keeneland unless you thought pretty highly of them.”
Friday’s first standings consisted of 10 races with 107 participants and nine well-fitted. Among the opening day highlights was JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2T). Usually running on the first Wednesday of the meeting, it has been moved to the opening day.
“It was a great race and now there are four weeks left until the Breeders’ Cup race,” said Gatewood Bell vice president Keeneland. “We just love the balance of it. I think it just gives the riders a little better distance. People seem to like their distance in these races, especially the races. this big.”
Gatewood Bells
One candidate for that race is Augustin Stable’s joyful . Of the 16 track and field mares participating or also qualifying for Jessamine, Delight is the only one with Keeneland experience. She placed third in her debut, with a special maiden weight on April 29.
“We bought her in March and thought she would be a good, two-pass pitch,” coach Jonathan Thomas said of his $400,000 daughter. Mendelssohn . “The race here gave us the opportunity to start.”
Opening Day also offers $350,000 worth of Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2) Stock. Mike Maker won last year’s edition as a trainer Special Reserve , and the pair went back to look for the lightning strike twice. The special subs are 2-1 morning’s favorites.
Day 2 features three “Win and You’re In” races, but the main attraction will be the $1 million Coolmore Turf Mile (G1T). The field of 12 horses, along with four monuments will also have Casa Creed , who has similar 1st grade scores in Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) and Jaipur Betting (G1T); Walsh intern and Arlington Million Stakes (G1T) winner loved the morning line Santin ; and runner-up in Arlington Million, hard to beat Smooth as the strait .
Casa Creed wins the Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga . Racecourse
There was also $500,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) on opening day, which featured a very competitive field that included Pocahontas Stakes (G3) winner. Fun and Feisty and Runaway Spinaway Stakes (G1) Magic wheel 2 years old in a deep field.
The feeling of sprinting on the pitch Golden Pal joined the $350,000 Woodford Stock presented by FanDuel (G2T) as the overwhelming favorite on Oct. 8. Unbeaten on the Keeneland lawn, Wesley Ward interns used Woodford last year as a springboard to continue glory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Del Mar. He will look to be a three-time Breeders’ Cup champion if he makes it to the starting gate in the November 6 Turf sprint on his favorite pitch. The only sob of my 4-year-old son Uncle Mo since breaking her maiden two years ago, has appeared abroad — in Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) at York last year and the King’s Share (G1) in Ascot Racecourse June 14.
There is also the First Lady’s $750,000 one-mile stipend presented by UK Healthcare (G1T). The field of six fillings and the older mare is given by a level 1 triple catcher King of Glory and top level import pair—In Italy and Technical analysis . All three hail from Chad Brown’s barn. The 6-year-old Regal Glory owned by Peter Brant, whose relationships have publicly discussed dealing with boys in FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF (G1T), opted to participate in the tour. her own sex on the weekend even though she came in second. attempt to Casa Creed in the Fourstardave in Saratoga. Her stable friend in Italian, also owned by Brant, will not let the Glorious Reign to fall without a fight, for Dubai filly started for the first time since setting a great scoring record in Saratoga’s Diana Stakes (G1T).
$600,000 Claiborne Breeders ‘Futurity (G1) also means about Breeders’ Cup. Hero of Hopeful Stakes (G1) Forte come as narrow favorite right before Log in , Instant coffee and his cagemate Todd Pletcher Lost beer keg . Two turns Breeders ‘Futurity has always been an important prep race for the TVG Breeders’ Juvenile Cup presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1), and has produced two winners and two 2-year-old champions in Necessary quality and Classic Empire in the past six years.
Saturday also featured the $350,000 American Thoroughbred Club (G2) for the older mares and the extended six-horse sprint mare on the main track. New Mexico hybrid sprinter slam a movie that is arguably one of the more interesting platforms running on its opening weekend, will keep an eye on her first ratings win.
Meanwhile, Fall Stars Weekend ends October 9 with another full day of racing, including three stake races including the $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1). The field is small — limited to just five horses — but the competition is great. Champion Malathaat who initiates a decisive vote count in Individual Stakes (G1) against fellow Rotary participants and race title defenders Letruska , will try to continue her momentum on Sunday. Pupil Todd Pletcher has enjoyed huge success in her career twice starting at Keeneland, capturing Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) on the strip at the age of 3 and Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) here in debut in 2022.
Malathaat Wins Private Equity at Saratoga . Race Course
“All the 2-year-old races were the most poignant I can remember, top to bottom,” says Bell. “The Coolmore Turf Mile’s has six 1st place winners in it and six other category winners in it. Then you have Letruska and Malathaat. I was hoping we could get a few more in the race. there, but all five of them can win the race. The First Lady even on Saturday, that’s another short field of six but you don’t pick one.”
Irish Import Love Reigns who hasn’t lost in two starts on US soil, sets her sights on $250,000 Indian Summer Shares presented by Keeneland Select, a “Win and You’re In” for Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T).
Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2T) $350,000 has three crosses of first-crop boars Oscar Performance –Deer . County , And the winner is and Oscar Awards .
In addition to the quality of the race, there was enthusiasm for the satisfying purse, which hit a record $8.9 million, up from $7.7 million last year. That total includes $1.3 million from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. Opening races bets over the weekend will have a total of $5.45 million.
Among the physical changes, Keeneland changed the lawn, updating the horse walking path. Bell said a tree was added while not removing any traces. The change was made to ensure the safe passage of horses and people in the lawn as it will host an ever larger crowd.
“The idea basically took what we used to do on the old kind of parade ring, where the charioteers would line up and they would all circle in numerical order,” Bell explains. “We took that to envision taking that ring and doubling it in size and moving it into the existing main lawn where the trees are. And so the horses will remain saddled in the stalls. line in all weather conditions and then they’ll come in numerical order and they’ll line up in a bigger ring. That way all the fans will see them walk.”
With the Breeders’ Cup right after the meeting, in the reverse order of what usually happens, there are temporary structures for the event that have been and are being used.
Bell said the paddle chalet “is amazing because it has a great view of the lawn” and has about 150 dining tables, providing a “really great vantage point.”
There are also makeshift lodge boxes in front of the existing traditional boxes that Bell mentioned make up about half of the mark. This allows for about four or five more rows of makeshift boxes on the track aprons that fans can purchase. These boxes complement larger temporary structures built near the quarter column but will not be available for use during the fall meeting.
