Veteran Tom's d'Etat earns first graded score in Fayette

6-year-old Tom’s d’Etat finally made the grade Saturday, much the best over a field of dirt routers in taking the Grade 2, $200,000 Fayette Stakes at Keeneland.

The Albert Stall Jr. trainee dueled the first mile alongside front-running Mr Freeze, who set fractions of :23.53 and :47.81 over a sloppy, sealed track. Tom’s d’Etat got a head in front through the second turn, then took over in the stretch of the 1 1/8-mile Fayette.

Tom’s d’Etat went on to score in 1:49.17 under jockey Joel Rosario, who made the Fayette his fourth win in as many rides Saturday at Keeneland.

“He broke sharp, and I sent him to the lead early (along with Mr Freeze),” Rosario said. “He can just sit there and when you ask him, he will keep going.”

The Dale Romans-trained Mr Freeze, winner of Churchill Downs’ Ack Ack Stakes (G3) last out Sept. 28, was 4 ¼ lengths back in second. It was another 3 ¼ lengths to Bal Harbour in third, followed by Own Agenda.

Among other notable entries, Grade 2 winner Tenfold finished in sixth, while Everfast – second in this year’s Preakness Stakes – ran last of nine.

Tom’s d’Etat, a Kentucky-bred son of Smart Strike debuted in 2016 as a 3-year-old and then went on the shelf midway through his 4-year-old season due to injury. He didn’t return until last November at 5, racing twice in 2018 before moving up to graded company for the first time as a 6-year-old.

Over his prior four races, Tom’s d’Etat was second on Kentucky Derby day in Churchill’s Alysheba Stakes (G2), third over the same course the Stephen Foster (G2), first in Saratoga’s listed Alydar and then fourth last out at the Spa in the Woodward (G1).

The Fayette marked Tom’s d’Etat’s first graded win in five such starts. The G M B Racing product will go for his first Grade 1 score Nov. 29 back at Churchill Downs in the Clark Handicap.

“We had to wait on him for various things over the years – nothing earth-shattering, just little things here and there,” Stall said. “… It’s paid off. We always thought he was the right kind of horse. He’s been deserving of a Grade 2 or maybe a Grade 1 next month. So here we are.”