Keeneland: First Captain, Classic Causeway lead closing day
First Captain headlines a field of six entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 65th running of the Grade 2, $350,000 Fayette Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on the main track, the feature on closing day of the fall meet at Keeneland.
The Fayette will go as the ninth race with a 5:16 p.m. EDT post time. The first post is at 1 p.m.
Click here for Keeneland entries and results.
Trained by Shug McGaughey for owners West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Bobby Flay and Woodford Racing, First Captain comes into Saturday’s race off a third-place finish in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) behind Olympiad, one of the leading contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Luis Saez has the mount and will break from post position 4.
First Captain will share top weight of 123 pounds with Willis Horton Racing’s Last Samurai and Juddmonte’s Fulsome.
Last Samurai, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, has compiled a 6: 1-1-1 record in 2022 with the victory coming in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in April. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount and will break from post 6.
Fulsome, a four-time Grade 3 winner for Brad Cox, has won 3 of 5 starts in 2022 with the highlight being the Oaklawn Mile (G3) in April. Florent Geroux has the mount and will break from post 3.
2022 Fayette Stakes (G2)
| Rank | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Will Power Bernardini | B. Cox J. Rosario |
| Entered | ||||
| Chess Chief Into Mischief | D. Stewart R. Gutierrez |
| Entered | ||||
| Fulsome Into Mischief | B. Cox F. Geroux |
| Entered | ||||
| First Captain Curlin | C. McGaughey III L. Saez |
| Entered | ||||
| King Fury Curlin | K. McPeek B. Hernandez, Jr. |
| Entered | ||||
| Last Samurai Malibu Moon | D. Lukas T. Gaffalione |
| Entered |
Classic Causeway headlines Bryan Station
Classic Causeway, winner of the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1), heads a field of 12 3-year-olds plus four also-eligibles entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 18th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Bryan Station Stakes.
Run at a mile on the grass, the Bryan Station will go as the eighth race Saturday afternoon with a 4:44 p.m. EDT post time.
Owned by Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper and trained by Kenny McPeek, Classic Causeway comes into Saturday’s race off a seventh-place finish in the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) on Oct. 8, his first try against older runners. In his other grass tries Classic Causeway finished third in the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) and the Jockey Club Derby Invitational (G3).
Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount on Classic Causeway and will break from post 5.
Three Grade 2 winners are in the field, including Three Diamonds Farm and Deuce Greathouse’s Stolen Base, winner of the American Turf in May at Churchill Downs; Jeremy Brooks’ Wow Whata Summer, winner of the Penn Mile in June at Penn National; and Donegal Racing’s Ready to Purrform, winner of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in August at Saratoga.