Photo Blog: Keeneland Fall Stars Weekend 2016

Nestled in the heart of horse country, Keeneland is the perfect setting for world-class horse racing. Covered in bluegrass, dotted with trees, embellished in stone, and filled with fashionable, enthusiastic fans, the Lexington, Ky. track is somehow simultaneously idyllic and dynamic – making for the perfect racing experience. This previous weekend, Keeneland kicked off its 17-day fall meet with a star-studded lineup over the first three days that has deemed the season opener "Fall Stars Weekend."

Beautiful fall weather attracted large crowds each day, allowing the track to set a new Fall Stars attendance record of 66,437. Over the span of three days, Keeneland hosted nine graded stakes – including five grade ones and a total of seven Breeders' Cup Win & You're In races.

Although these stakes races were the highlight of the weekend, race days at Keeneland provided for an abundance of other great races, unique sights and sounds, and an overall quality experience.

With high-quality horses stabled, training, and competing at the Lexington track, Keeneland is the place to catch a glimpse of some of racing's future and current superstars – including Catch a Glimpse herself. 

Other talented turf runners prepping for the QEII Challenge included Harmonize and Mokat, who breezed on the turf the same morning as Catch a Glimpse before a good number of onlookers.

The stakes action began as soon as opening day, with the Friday card featuring the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (gr. II) for sprinters and the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (gr. I) for two-year-old fillies. 

The Phoenix offered one of the most thrilling races of the weekend. A.P. Indian, undefeated on the year and entering off consecutive grade one victories in New York, was the heavy favorite but was headed by Limousine Liberal – who set a track record at Keeneland in the spring – in late stretch. The two were stride-for-stride down the lane and crossed the wire together, with A.P. Indian winning the official photo finish by a small head. With this result, A.P. Indian gained his second Win & You're In victory of the year for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

The first grade one of the meet, the Alcibiades, was met with a storybook ending. Maryland-bred Dancing Rags, carrying the same silks of Phyllis Wyeth's Chadds Ford Stable that her sire Union Rags did, was ridden to victory by young jockey Angel Cruz – who gained his first grade one victory. The win secured the team a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I).

Female sprinters took the stage next in the first Win & You're In of the day, the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr. II), in which the winner would earn a berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I). Four-year-old Irish Jasper accomplished that feat, defeating heavy favorite Stonetastic by 1 ¾ lengths.

   
Although not the richest race on the card, the following race – the First Lady Stakes (gr. I) for fillies and mares going one mile on the turf – was perhaps the most anticipated race of the weekend, featuring defending champion and top female turf runner Tepin. However, the First Lady resulted in the most shocking finish of the weekend: pace setter Photo Call ran away from the field to terminate Tepin's eight-race winning streak at odds of 29-1.

The Casse barn received immediate redemption after Tepin's loss in the subsequent race, the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity Stakes (gr. I) for two-year-olds. It was also redemption for their charge Classic Empire, who had earned the nickname "racing's bad boy" for veering and losing his rider last out in the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I). He was on his best behavior on Saturday, taking the Breeders' Futurity by an easy three lengths to earn a spot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I).

The feature race of the day, the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (gr. I), offered a $1,000,000 purse and a place in the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. I) starting gate. In a sequence of events similar to a weekend during Keeneland's spring meet, Miss Temple City avoided Tepin to run against the males and defeated them yet again.

Sunday featured a pair of Win & You're In events: the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (gr. III) for two-year-olds to qualify for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. I) and the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (gr. I) for fillies and mares to qualify for the Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I).

The Casse barn unleashed another talented two-year-old in the Bourbon when French-bred Keep Quiet kicked clear to take the mile and one-sixteenth turf contest over strong favorite Ticonderoga.

The final graded stakes of the weekend offered one of the most impressive performances when the classy I'm a Chatterbox drew away from the small field to win by an effortless seven lengths.