Bradester headlines a roster of 24 nominations to the Fayette

Joseph Sutton’s Bradester, winner of the Stephen Foster (G1) and a back-to-back winner of the Monmouth Cup (G2), headlines a roster of 24 nominations to the 59th running of the $200,000 Hagyard Fayette (G2) to be run Oct. 29.

Run at 1 1/8 miles on dirt for 3-year-olds and up, the Hagyard Fayette serves as the closing-day feature for Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, Bradester was third in the Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs on Oct. 1 in his most recent start. The respective winner and runner-up in that race, Noble Bird and Hawaakom, both are nominated to the Hagyard Fayette.

John Oxley’s Noble Bird won the 2015 renewal of the Stephen Foster and is a two-time stakes winner this year. Trained by Mark Casse, Noble Bird finished second in his most recent Keeneland start in April’s Ben Ali (G3), the Spring Meet equivalent of the Hagyard Fayette.

Other intriguing nominees to the Hagyard Fayette include Lael Stables’ Divining Rod and Flaxman Holdings Ltd.’s Tale of Life (JPN).

Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Divining Rod won the Coolmore Lexington (G3) here last year before finishing third behind eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Preakness (G1). Divining Rod is 2-for-2 this year.

Tale of Life, trained by Graham Motion, owns Keeneland’s 1 1/16-mile track record of 1:42.34 set this spring.

Entries for the Hagyard Fayette will be taken Oct. 26.

Major race tracks employ stakes coordinators to closely follow races throughout the country and even beyond in search of suitable horses to recruit for their upper-level races. For Keeneland Stakes Coordinator Allison DeLuca, the simplest part of her job is also the most difficult part.

“My job is easy at Keeneland because everybody wants to race here,” she said. “The hardest thing is when a stakes looks like it will overfill and I have to advise (out-of-town) trainers to not ship in for the race.”

To run in a stakes, horsemen must nominate horses to the race a few weeks in advance. Keeneland posts lists of horses nominated to stakes at http://www.keeneland.com/horsemen/conditions-stakes-info. About three days in advance of the race, horses will be entered.

 

In between, DeLuca keeps in touch with the horses’ trainers with a goal of having a full field of quality Thoroughbreds in the starting gate for Keeneland’s stakes, which are exceptionally attractive thanks to their lucrative prize money and the track’s premiere facilities. When the number of entrants outnumbers spots in the starting gate, preference usually is given to horses that have earned the most money. 

 

“I am always looking for the best horses,” DeLuca said. “I contact people a lot but they are always very polite even though they probably get a million phone calls a week.”

 

DeLuca, whose grandparents introduced her to racing, has been involved with racing office procedures since her college days. She took race track management classes at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program and majored in political science. DeLuca started working in racing offices around 1980 and since has held various positions at tracks throughout the country. She has been director of racing and racing secretary at Tampa Bay Downs since 2006 and is one of the first women to serve as racing secretary at a major U.S. track.

“I tried to get whatever job came open if I had not had it before,” she said. “That is what all young people should do. I think it is good to do every job you can so you can learn.”

 

For DeLuca, being Keeneland’s Stakes Coordinator is a dream job.

 

“Watching the stakes races with such good horses is always rewarding to me,” she said. “Everybody wants to win a race at Keeneland, so I am always happy for the winner.”

Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg started his first horse at Keeneland in 18 years when he sent out Dream Walkin Farms’ Grantastica to run third in Friday’s second race. Van Berg, who won his first race at Keeneland during the 1972 Spring Meet, has 46 victories here, including the 1987 Commonwealth Breeders’ Cup (now the Grade 3 Commonwealth) with Exclusive Enough. That year, Van Berg also won the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) with Alysheba, who was disqualified from first and placed third in the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland. He will send out Dedomenico LLC and Muddy Waters Stables’ Love That Lute in today’s 10th race. …

Jacob Radosevich scored his first Keeneland victory when he rode Steve Snowden and Kay Reed’s Snuggle Struggle to win Friday’s first race. Eric Reed trains the winner, a 5-year-old daughter of Five Star Day who took the six-furlong race in 1:12.62. …