Ferocious stretches out in Breeders’ Futurity; Spinaway rematch in Alcibiades

Sep 30, 2024 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Ferocious breaking his maiden in a romp at Saratoga

Ferocious breaking his maiden in a romp at Saratoga (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

Fall Stars Weekend at Keeneland features a slew of stakes, including points races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks.

On opening day Friday, fillies take the stage in the $600,000 Alcibiades (G1), and on Saturday, potential Derby candidates square off in the $600,000 Breeders’ Futurity (G1). The top five finishers in each race receive points on the 10-5-3-2-1 format.

Moreover, both 1 1/16-mile stakes are part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series. The Alcibiades is a “Win and You’re In” for the Juvenile Fillies (G1), and the Breeders’ Futurity winner likewise earns a free ticket to the Juvenile (G1).

Saturday’s Breeders’ Futurity (G1)

Ferocious, who was beaten just a half-length as the odds-on favorite in the Hopeful (G1), will try to put it all together at Keeneland.

Trained by Gustavo Delgado, like 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) hero Mage, Ferocious appeared to race greenly at Saratoga. The $1.3 million OBS March juvenile purchase got away with it in his resounding maiden win, but his loss of focus was costly in the Hopeful, where Chancer McPatrick outmoved him.

The stretch-out to two turns could help Ferocious on Saturday, if he can cope with the rail post. New jockey Luis Saez figures to get him engaged early.

Among his 10 rivals are several intriguing maiden winners. Particularly eye-catching are Godolphin’s homebred East Avenue, a maternal relative of reigning Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish who wired his debut at Ellis Park, and the Dallas Stewart-trained Dapper Moon, a convincing winner at Saratoga.

Kenny McPeek, who scored the historic Oaks/Derby double with Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan this year, sends out Handsome Pants. By Daredevil, the sire of McPeek’s champion filly Swiss Skydiver, Handsome Pants won first time out at Churchill Downs going this distance.

The only other runner with experience at the trip is Todd Pletcher’s Tenacious Leader. Just denied in the 1 1/16-mile With Anticipation (G3) on the turf at Saratoga, the son of Not This Time previously romped in an off-the-turf maiden at the Spa.

The terrifically versatile stallion Not This Time has another contender in Mesero. The Ellis Park debut winner rallied for fourth in Churchill’s Iroquois (G3), the first scoring race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Optical took four tries to break his maiden, but the Keith Desormeaux trainee checked that box with a vengeance by 14 lengths at Churchill last out. He’s a son of City of Light, the sire of last year’s juvenile champion and recent Travers (G1) star Fierceness. City of Light is also responsible for Filoso, a 3 1/2-length maiden winner at the Spa for Chad Summers.

Another graduating from a smart maiden victory is Big Boat from the James DiVito barn. The son of 2016 Kentucky Derby champion Nyquist rolled in his unveiling in a Churchill Downs sprint.

Ready for Peace has run exclusively on turf so far, winning at first asking at Colonial Downs and placing third in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile. But his pedigree points to surface versatility. The More Than Ready colt is a half-brother to Joevia, the third-placer in the 2019 Belmont (G1), and trainer Ignacio Correas boasts a 19% strike rate in graded stakes.

Concluding the field is Saratoga Cruiser, a last-to-first debut winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis for Jeff Engler.

Friday’s Alcibiades (G1)

The Alcibiades shapes up as a rematch of the seven-furlong Spinaway (G1), but over a longer distance. Godolphin’s undefeated Immersive surged past Quietside at a muddy Saratoga that day, with Sherbini closing as a non-threatening third. The Queens M G, who had won the Schuylerville S. and Adirondack (G3), faded to fifth in her bid for a rare triple.

Immersive, a daughter of Nyquist, is eligible to keep progressing for trainer Brad Cox. But Quietside also has claims to improve, considering that she had a tougher trip in the Spinaway. The Queens M G may not re-oppose them, if trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. decides to go for Saturday’s Frizette (G1) at Aqueduct instead.

Liam in the Dust already has five Oaks points to her credit as the runner-up in the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs. Other contenders include Saratoga maiden winner Quickick; Rich City Girl, second in the Ellis Park Debutante S. and most recently victorious over the turf at Kentucky Downs; and Continuity, who brings a 2-for-2 mark into her stakes debut.

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