Keeneland Breeders' Cup Challenge Races: Part 1

Photo:
This year’s Keeneland fall meet, which opens today, October 7, and runs 17 days of racing until closing day on the 29th, will host 18 stakes, including 7 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races. On opening day of this, the track’s seventy-fifth anniversary meet, the GIII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes and the GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes will kick of the stakes-filled weekend.
 
Now, I’ve already attested to the fact that I’m no handicapper, but I check out my PPs before racing and I like to know where the favorites are coming from. I’m preparing to go to my second Breeders’ Cup, and the BC Challenge races particularly interest me this year. On that note, I thought I’d share my very light preview of Kenenland’s Win-and-You’re-In races with my HRN friends. I’ll be posting on all the Challenge races at Keeneland on the morning of, so check back on October 8, 9, and 13 as well.
 
Race 8, the GIII Phoenix Stakes, newly sponsored by the Stoll Keenon Ogden law firm, will pit seven contenders in the 3yo & up division at 6F over the Polytrak. The winner of this race will be ushered into the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint, running next month at Churchill Downs. Some familiar names are on the card, including favorites Aikenite and Hamazing Destiny, who met last in the GI Forego S. at Saratoga this summer, finishing 3rd and 4th, respectively. But Flashpoint, the youngest in the field at 3, who despite a 5th place finish, had both his wins this year at this distance, and will like give Aikenite, who has won at Keeneland at 7f, a solid run for the money.
 
 
Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S.
October 07, $175,000, 3yo & up, 6F, Keeneland Race Course, 5:13 PM ET
 
ML
Post
Horse
Weight
Jockey
Trainer
8/5
   1
Flashpoint 3, c.
120
Cornelio Velasquez
Wesley Ward
20/1
   2
118
Gabriel Saez
Maynard Chatters
3/1
   3
118
Robby Albarado
D. Lukas
15/1
   4
Hoofit (NZ) 4, g.
18
Edgar Prado
H. Motion
5/1
   5
118
Garrett Gomez
John Sadler
5/2
    6
Aikenite 4, c.
122
John Velazquez
Todd Pletcher
10/1
   7
118
Julien Leparoux
Steve Margolis
 
 
Race 9 has attracted a deep field of 15 (1 AE) 2 yo fillies for the 1 1/16m GI $400K Darley Alcibiades Stakes run over Keeneland’s Polytrak. The girls are well matched with the morning line favorites Tu Endie Wei, And Why Not, New Wave, and Sweet Cat headlining the race. Tu Endi Wei comes down from Woodbine, undefeated in two starts but is extending her distance for this attempt. And Why Not, comes in off a 3rd finish in the GI Skipaway at Saratoga. New Wave’s last start was awarded with a 2nd in Saratoga’s P.G. Johnson stakes at the same distance, while Sweet Cat comes in straight off her maiden win at the Spa. The only filly with a win at 1 1/16m is the morning line 20-1 shot Heart of Destiny, who won a Maiden Special Weight at Saratoga last month. The competition for the Win-and-You’re-In-spot for this year’s Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies race; truthfully I this I think this very well could be any filly’s race.
 
 
Darley Alcibiades S.
October 07, $400,000, 2yo, f, 1 1/16M, Keeneland Race Course, 5:45 PM ET
 
ML
Post
Horse
Weight
Jockey
Trainer
12/1
   1
118
Alan Garcia
Kenneth McPeek
8/1
   2
118
Kent Desormeaux
Garry Simms
20/1
   3
118
Jesus Castanon
William Helmbrecht
6/1
   4
118
James McAleney
Reade Baker
6/1
   5
Sweet Cat 2, f.
118
John Velazquez
Todd Pletcher
8/1
   6
Egg Drop 2, f.
118
Joseph Talamo
Mike Mitchell
12/1
   7
118
Corey Lanerie
Wayne Catalano
6/1
   8
New Wave 2, f.
118
Julien Leparoux
George Arnold, II
5/1
   9
118
Garrett Gomez
Michael Matz
8/1
   10
118
Juan Leyva
Milton Wolfson
20/1
   11
118
Edgar Prado
James Baker
15/1
   12
118
Jamie Theriot
W. Calhoun
50/1
   13
118
David Mello
Danny Turner
12/1
   14
118
Rajiv Maragh
James DiVito
20/1
   15
 AE
118
Joe Johnson
Gary Hartlage
 
Personally, I’m leaving it to destiny in both races: Hamazing Destiny, favorite in the 8th, and Heart of Destiny, longshot in the 9th. It has to be more than coincidence, doesn’t it? 

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