Troubleshooting leads Not This Time parade, wins Bryan Station
Troubleshooting passed early leader Golden Afternoon in the second turn and held off rallying Tenacious Leader by a neck at the finish to win the Grade 3, $600,000 Bryan Station Stakes on closing day of the fall meet Saturday at Keeneland.
Not This Time sired the top four finishers and three others among the dozen 3-year-olds who raced in the two-turn turf mile.
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Troubleshooting, a Donamire Farm homebred who was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Greg Foley, finished the mile at 1:35.78 on the firm course. He paid $9.76, $5.76 and $4.54.
“I got to the lead a little easier than I was expecting,” Gaffalione said of his successful stalking trip. “I asked him to run, and he really kicked on about the eighth pole. He started looking around a little bit, so I gave him a couple of reminders, and he really finished his job well.”
Second-place Tenacious Leader, ridden by John Velázquez, returned $7.76 and $6.20. Giocoso finished 1 1/2 more lengths behind in third and paid $6.24 under Ben Curtis. Dream On with Javier Castellano was another nose back in fourth.
Salamis, Golden Afternoon, Mesero, Final Gambit, Antisocial, Simulate, Plensa and Game Warrior completed the finish in that order.
Troubleshooting, who won the $2 million Franklin-Simpson (G1) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 6, is a Kentucky-bred colt out of Into Mischief mare Into Trouble. He earned $339,450 for Saturday’s win to boost his bankroll to $1,735,106 from a record of 10: 4-3-0.
“It’s been a great ride,” Foley said. “At Kentucky Downs, a $2 million pot and a Grade 1, and then to come over here and get this one back to back, it’s been a heck of a ride.”
Foley already was looking ahead to this time next year at Keeneland.
“Let’s put it this way,” he said. “I’m glad the Breeders’ Cup is here next year. We just were talking about it before today even just that he would take us, and if he’s doing well, maybe we could have a shot at it next year. I don’t know why we don’t. He just gets better all the time. He’s a big, gorgeous horse.”