Fully Subscribed cruises past Counting Stars in Spinster
Odds-on favorite Fully Subscribed took control on the far turn and drew off through the stretch Sunday to win the Grade 1, $650,000 Spinster Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths at Keeneland.
Flavien Prat collected his second win of the day aboard the 4-year-old filly for trainer Chad Brown in the 1 1/8-mile race. The Spinster is a win-and-you're-in qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, which will be run on the same track and same distance Oct. 31. Regaled and Snowyte were scratched, leaving three starters.
Immersive, the 2024 champion 2-year-old filly, broke on top under José Ortiz and set the pace along the rail. She led by 1 1/2 lengths through a quarter-mile in 24.19 seconds and by a length through a half-mile in 48.43 seconds. Fully Subscribed stalked in second from the three path, and Counting Stars tracked along the inside in third under Irad Ortiz Jr. Counting Stars, the sole 3-year-old in the field, was facing older fillies and mares for the first time.
Prat ranged up to Immersive at the three-furlong pole as the leaders reached three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.00. Fully Subscribed took command in hand approaching the five-sixteenths pole and swung four wide into the lane. She shifted out in upper stretch, opened a 3-length lead at the mile in 1:37.56 and widened under little urging. Fully Subscribed finished in 1:50.60 on the fast main track and paid $3.08 to win. There was no place or show wagering.
"A three-horse field can be kind of a Tom-and-Jerry game," Prat said. "But she jumped well and everything set up good. She was traveling well and gave me a good run. Obviously when I saw (jockey) Irad (Ortiz Jr. on Counting Stars) coming around, I asked her to get going and she responded well, and after that I was just trying to save some energy."
Counting Stars chased from the four and five paths turning for home but never threatened, finishing second, 3 1/4 lengths back.
"The trip was great. She ran really good," Irad Ortiz said. "Right away I looked to the side and Flavien was right there so I told myself I'm going to have to go a little fast all the way and with a person outside of us and I don't want to do that so I went to Plan B. She came right back to me beautifully. Sometimes it's even harder in a three-horse field than it is in a race (with more starters). It didn't work out our way today but I'm very happy with the filly. She's a 3-year-old and she's already really good so that's exciting."
Trainer Mark Casse said the plan hinged on the break, and he will send Counting Stars home for a rest instead of pointing her to the Breeders' Cup.
"We talked about two different scenarios," Casse said. "Irad (Ortiz Jr.) and I, if she broke running, he was going to go. But if not, he's going to get stuck, because we knew there was no way Flavien (Prat) was going to let him out. So, you'll see down the backside, he took her back, so he could get outside Flavien. I'm proud of her, she ran great. We'll send her home now for a rest and try to win the Breeders' Cup next year."
Immersive, headed at the five-sixteenths pole, faded to third, 9 1/4 lengths behind the winner.
"Three-horse field was pretty simple," José Ortiz said. "She went to the lead, we set good fractions, I was third best."
"I thought she ran well," trainer Brad Cox said. "We got an easy lead. I felt like a somewhat comfortable lead going into the turn. She had to be called upon a little bit but that's how she normally runs. The winner blew past us at the five-sixteenths pole and we had no response. Third best today."
The victory earned $403,000 for Klaravich Stables. Fully Subscribed came into the Spinster off back-to-back wins at Saratoga, including the Shuvee Stakes (G2) and the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1), which she won last time by 9 3/4 lengths.