Kelly's Humor tops Alcibiades to open Keeneland's fall meet

Dawn and Ike Thrash’s Kelly’s Humor, winner of the Ellis Park Debutante and runner-up in the Pocahontas (G2) last month at Churchill Downs, tops a field of 10 2-year-old fillies entered Tuesday for Friday’s 66th running of the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1).

Run at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt track, the Darley Alcibiades is the centerpiece of Friday’s 10-race program that kicks off Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet. The season, which runs through Oct. 28, begins with Fall Stars Weekend that features nine graded stakes – five of which are Grade 1s. The Darley Alcibiades will go as the afternoon’s ninth race with a 5:30 ET post time. First post time is 1:05 p.m.

The Darley Alcibiades is a “Win and You’re In” race for the $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be run Nov. 4 at Del Mar. Keeneland will run nine “Win and You’re In” races during the meet.

Trained by Brad Cox, Kelly’s Humor won her first two starts at Ellis Park before rallying to finish second in the Pocahontas at the Darley Alcibiades distance of 1 1/16 miles. Javier Castellano has the mount and will break from post position seven.

Cox has one other starter in the race, Zayat Stables’ Sassy Sienna. A maiden winner on grass in her debut at Indiana Grand, Sassy Sienna finished third in the P.G. Johnson on turf at Saratoga in her most recent start.

Luis Saez will ride Sassy Sienna and break from post 10.

An interesting wild card in the race is Lothenbach Stables’ Bet She Wins, trained by Chris Block.

Bet She Wins made her first two starts on grass at Arlington Park and earned her first career victory in her third start when she won the Arlington-Washington Lassie by 9½ lengths over the all-weather surface. Friday’s race will mark her first outing on dirt.

Jose Valdivia Jr., has the mount and will break from post position six.

The third stakes winner in the field is Tobey Morton’s Pacific Gale. Trained by John Kimmel, Pacific Gale was a 3 1/4-length winner of the 6-furlong Sorority at Monmouth on Sept. 2 in her most recent start. Chris DeCarlo has the mount and will break from post position two.

The field for the Darley Alcibiades, with riders, is: Princess Warrior (Brian Hernandez Jr.), Pacific Gale (DeCarlo), Caroline the Great (Robby Albarado), Arabella Bella (Shaun Bridgmohan), Over Thinking (Jon Court), Bet She Wins (Valdivia Jr.), Kelly’s Humor (Castellano), Dancing (Manny Franco), Heavenly Love (Julien Leparoux) and Sassy Sienna (Saez). All starters will carry 118 pounds.

Source: Keeneland Association