Pick of the Litter Closes Out Keeneland Meet in Fayette

 

Crossed Sabres Farm’s Pick of the Litter, benefiting from a ground-saving ride from Corey Lanerie, split horses in deep stretch to win the 57th running of the $200,000 Hagyard Fayette (G2) by a neck over Departing on Saturday before a closing-day crowd of 19,958.

 

Trained by Dale Romans, Pick of the Litter covered the 1 1/8 miles over a fast track in 1:49.48. It was the second win in the race for Romans, who saddled M B Sea to victory in the 2003 renewal.

 

Call Me George, Departing and Long River ran almost as a team through opening fractions of :24.39, :48.23 and 1:12.29 while Lanerie kept Pick of the Litter near the rail and in fifth place.

 

On the far turn, Call Me George began to back out of the leading flight and at the top of the stretch Departing shot to a narrow advantage to the inside of Long River and opened a clear lead at the eighth pole. Inside the sixteenth pole, Lanerie shifted Pick of the Litter off the rail and drove between Departing and Long River, surging to the front in the final yards.

 

A Keeneland sale graduate, Pick of the Litter is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Kitten’s Joy out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Eagle Sound. The victory was worth $120,000 and improved Pick of the Litter’s earnings to $392,662 with a record of 18-5-4-2. It was his first stakes win.

 

Pick of the Litter returned $16.60, $7 and $4.20. Departing, sent off as the slight favorite under Robby Albarado, returned $3.40 and $2.60 with Long River finishing a length back under Rosie Napravnik and paying $3 to show.

 

It was a neck back to Code West in fourth. Following him in order were Mister Marti Gras, Call Me George, Coltimus Prime and Stephanoatsee.

 

Napravnik secured her second consecutive Fall Meet leading rider title with 16 victories. Todd Pletcher and Graham Motion shared the title for leading trainer with eight victories each. It was the third leading trainer title for Pletcher, who topped the standings in the 2005 and 2008 Spring Meets, and the first for Motion.

 

Ken and Sarah Ramsey sent out nine winners to claim their fifth outright Fall leading owner title. The Ramseys, who set a Keeneland record with 17 winners last fall, have won 14 leading owner titles here, nine of them outright. The 14 titles tie the Ramseys with T. Allie Grissom for the most meet crowns.

 

Source: Keeneland Communications