Keeneland Prepares for FallStars Weekend

The annual FallStars Weekend will begin Keeneland’s fall racing program this Friday. (AI Wire Image)

The card contains many Breeders’ Cup contenders and has been expanded to include four Grade I stakes races – the $500,000 Spinster, the $500,000 Alcibiades, the $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity and the $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile.

Friday night’s highlight will definitely be the $500,000 Darley Alcibiades, a race for 2-year-old fillies, which will feature arch rivals Irish Smoke and Dreaming of Liz. Both horses are coming off huge wins last month and will probably be the early favorites.

The runner-up to Irish Smoke in the Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Sept. 2 was A to the Croft, trained by Ken McPeek, who will be looking for revenge on Friday. This will be the first time the filly has not run on dirt and she is also extending her racing distance.

"We're looking forward to going two turns, which seems like her ideal distance," explained McPeek. "This race is good experience for the next one (the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies). She came out of the last race good, steady as she goes, no issues. We've been waiting for two turns and this has been the plan all along. She trained over the Polytrack last spring and has trained over it recently as well, she's a galloper and she'll have no problem, she'll like it."

The $500,000 Darley Alcibiades (Grade I) will be the ninth race at Keeneland on Friday with an approximate post time of 5:15 p.m. EST.

PP, Horse, Jockey

1. Initiation, Garrett Gomez
2. Dreaming of Liz, E. T. Baird
3. Morakami, Javier Castellano
4. Irish Smoke, Julien R. Leparoux
5. Minewander, Larry Melancon
6. French Kiss, Joe Johnson
7. Startswampindowski, Shaun Bridgmohan
8. Bee's Wax, Rene Douglas
9. Grace Anatomy, Mike Smith
10. Country Star, Rafael Bejarano
11. Rasierra, Jamie Theriot
12. A to the Croft, Kent J. Desormeaux
13. Sunday Holiday, Robby Albarado

Other tracks starting their season this Friday are Beulah Park, Lone Star Park and Turf Paradise.

On Oct. 26-27, the world's fastest Thoroughbreds will race for glory in the 2007 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Monmouth Park. Head over to the Bodog Racebook to get all your latest Breeders' Cup info.