Fields Drawn for Breeders’ Cup Supporting Stakes
Grade 1 winners Hoppertunity and V. E. Day plus a trio of horses from trainer Todd Pletcher headline a field of 11 entered Monday for the 58th running of the $200,000 Hagyard Fayette (G2), one of two Grade 2 races on Friday, the opening day of the 32nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland.
Friday’s other Grade 2 race is the eighth running of the $200,000 Marathon, which along with the Hagyard Fayette bookend four Breeders’ Cup races on Friday’s 10-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. ET.
The card will open with three allowance races, followed by the 15th running of the $100,000 Bryan Station for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.
Post positions also were drawn Monday for the three non-Breeders’ Cup stakes on Saturday’s 12-race program that begins at11 a.m.
The Hagyard Fayette will go as the fifth race on Friday’s program at 2:47 p.m.
Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Hoppertunity won the Clark Handicap (G1) last fall at Churchill Downs. Trained by Bob Baffert, the earner of $1.4 million in his career finished second in the Awesome Again (G1) in his most recent start and will be ridden by Victor Espinoza from post five.
Magalen Bryant’s V. E. Day, winner of the 2014 Travers (G1), is trained by James Jerkens. V. E. Day comes into the 1 1/8-mile Hagyard Fayette off a runner-up effort in the Temperence Hill at Belmont on Sept. 12. Jose Lezcano has the mount and will break from post position four.
Pletcher will be represented by multiple graded stakes winners Commissioner, Protonico and Race Day.
WinStar Farm’s Commissioner returns to the races off a 4½-month layoff. Runner-up in the Belmont (G1) last year, Commissioner won the Skip Away (G3) and Pimlico Special (G3) this spring. Javier Castellano has the mount and will exit post position nine.
Sumaya U.S. Stable’s Protonico took the Bel Ali (G3) here in the spring by five lengths and followed that with a triumph in the Alysheba (G2) at Churchill Downs. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount Friday and will break from post position six.
Matthew Schera’s Race Day, winner of the Razorback (G3) and Oaklawn Handicap (G2) this year, won his first race at Keeneland in the fall of 2014. John Velazquez has the mount and will break from post position three.
Another horse that will merit consideration is Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s Departing. A multiple graded stakes winner trained by Al Stall Jr. and earner of more than $1.7 million, Departing was second in last year’s Hagyard Fayette. Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount and will break from post position two.
The field for the Hagyard Fayette, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Geothermal (Robby Albarado, 121 pounds), Departing (Hernandez Jr., 121), Race Day (Velazquez, 123), V.E. Day (Lezcano, 121), Hoppertunity (Espinoza, 123), Protonico (Ortiz Jr., 123), Code West (Shaun Bridgmohan, 121), Ulanbator (Julien Leparoux, 121), Commissioner (Castellano, 123), Encryption (Paco Lopez, 121) and Eagle (Joel Rosario, 118).
Marathon
The 1-2-3 finishers from the Greenwood Cup (G3) run at 1½ miles at Parx, Neck ‘n Neck, Majestic Harbor and For Greater Glory, head a field of 14 for the Marathon that is contested at 1¾ miles on the main track.
The Marathon will go as the 10th race at 6:10 p.m.
Ted Mitzlaff’s Neck ‘n Neck, a four-time graded stakes winner, has earned $978,762 in his career for trainer Ian Wilkes. Paco Lopez retains the mount Friday and will break from post position four.
Gallant Stables’ Majestic Harbor, winner of the 2014 Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1), finished a half-length behind Neck ‘n Neck at Parx. Trained by Paul McGee, Majestic Harbor will break from post position nine and be ridden by Corey Lanerie.
JoAnn and Alex Lieblong’s For Greater Glory was beaten three lengths in the Greenwood Cup and prior to that chased The Pizza Man in the Stars and Stripes (G3) at 1½ miles on the turf, beaten fewer than five lengths. Joe Rocco retains the mount for trainer Steve Hobby and will break from post position one.
The field for the Marathon, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: For Greater Glory (Rocco, 122), Lideris (John Velazquez, 122), Northeast Bound (Robby Albarado, 122), Neck ‘n Neck (Lopez, 124), Chairman Garey (Calvin Borel, 122), Canadian Gold (Channing Hill, 118), Looks to Spare (Miguel Mena, 122), Lynx (Julien Leparoux, 122), Majestic Harbor (Lanerie, 122), Fast Away (Ricardo Feliciano, 118), Desvelo (ARG) (Angel Serpa, 122), Dynabeaver (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Bailoutbobby (Joel Rosario, 122) and Zambian Dream (CHI) (Javier Castellano, 122).
Bryan Station
WinStar Farm’s Closing Bell, winner of the Dueling Grounds Derby and before that runner-up in the Secretariat (G1), heads a field of 12 for the Bryan Station.
The Bryan Station will go as the fourth race at 2:11 p.m. ET.
Trained by Bill Mott, Closing Bell has won two of five starts and in his stakes debut finished fourth in the Belmont Derby (G1). Closing Bell will break from post position nine with Jose Lezcano aboard.
The field for the Bryan Station, with riders and weights from the hedge out, is: Chapter Two (Corey Lanerie, 118 pounds),Tale of Life (JPN) (John Velazquez, 118), Fundamental (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Tweet Kitten (Javier Castellano, 118),Firespike (Victor Espinoza, 118), King of New York (Julien Leparoux, 118), Tale of Verve (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118),One Go All Go (Ronald Hisby, 122), Closing Bell (Lezcano, 120), Billy’s Star (Joel Rosario, 118), Wayward Kitten(Frankie Dettori, 118) and Paid Admission (Florent Geroux, 118).
Perryville
Clark Brewster’s Bayerd, a two-time stakes winner and most recently third in the Gallant Bob (G3) at Parx just behind TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) entrant Limousine Liberal, tops a field of nine entered for the 12th running of the $100,000 Perryville for 3-year-olds going six furlongs on the main track.
The Perryville will serve as the opener on the second day of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships with an 11 a.m. ETpost time.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Bayerd will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. and break from post position eight.
The field for the Perryville, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Hebbronville (Joe Bravo, 122 pounds), LewysVaporizer (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Lord Commander (John Velazquez, 118), Prime Engine (Tyler Baze, 118), BluegrassAngus (Corey Lanerie, 118), Wake Up Joe (Florent Geroux, 118), Recount (Robby Albarado, 118), Bayerd (Santana Jr., 118) and Majestic Affair (Javier Castellano, 120).
Juvenile Dirt Sprint
Abdullah Saeed Almaddah’s Sheikh of Sheikhs, a maiden winner at Saratoga and most recently sixth in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) after setting the pace, figures to be the horse to beat in the $100,000 Juvenile Dirt Sprint at six furlongs on the main track for 2-year-olds that drew a field of 11.
The Juvenile Dirt Sprint will go as Saturday’s second race with an 11:30 a.m. ET post time.
Trained by Wesley Ward, Sheikh of Sheikhs will be ridden by Frankie Dettori and break from post position four.
Ward also will send out Mark Dodson’s filly Banree, who will be ridden by Rafael Hernandez and exit post position six. Banree won her first race here in the spring at first asking and was an allowance winner here Oct. 7.
The field for the Juvenile Dirt Sprint, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Twirling Tiger (Martin Pedroza, 118 pounds), Whence (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Noholdingback Bear (Luis Saez, 118), Sheikh of Sheikhs (Dettori, 118), Danthe Go to Man (Corey Lanerie, 118), Billy Banree (Hernandez, 115), Moment Is Right (Joel Rosario, 117), TwirlingCinnamon (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), Este Es (Florent Geroux, 118), Richie the Bull (Jose Valdivia Jr., 118) and SpikesShirl (John Velazquez, 118).
Fort Springs
Luke Allen, Ed Bloom, Jose Singer and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s Dr. Fager’s Gal, winner of September’s Beverly Lewis Stakes at Los Alamitos, tops a field of nine 3-year-old fillies entered for the 10th running of the $100,000 Fort Springs.
The Fort Springs, run at six furlongs on the main track, will close Saturday’s 12-race program with a 6:15 p.m. ET post time.
A winner of three of seven career races, Dr. Fager’s Gal won the Lewis by 3¾ lengths going
6½ furlongs with Martin Pedroza up. Pedroza retains the mount Saturday and will break from post position eight.
The field for the Fort Springs, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Sweet Swingin (Channing Hill, 118 pounds),Sweet Success (Corey Lanerie, 118), Cristina’s Journey (Miguel Mena, 118), Meshell (Florent Geroux, 118), DesertValley (Robby Albarado, 118), Clothes Fall Off (Joel Rosario, 118), Coco’s Wildcat (Paco Lopez, 118), Dr. Fager’s Gal (Pedroza, 118) and Fusaichi Red (Joe Bravo, 118).
Source: Keeneland Association