The Keeneland fall meet comes to a close Oct. 25, but will go out with a bang as the final stakes race, the $350,000 Fayette Stakes (G3), promises to be a thriller.
Eleven entries were taken for the 1 1/8-mile contest, but the most intriguing of those may be the two 3-year-olds taking on older horses for the first time: Gosger and Bracket Buster.
Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables' homebred, Gosger, experienced success at Keeneland in the spring with a victory in the Lexington Stakes (G3) that launched his path to consecutive graded placings in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1). Trainer Brendan Walsh, who enters the weekend with four graded triumphs at the fall meet, hopes that Keeneland will get the son of Nyquist back in the win column after a disappointing sixth in the Sept. 20 Pennsylvania Derby (G1).
"I don't think he liked the track. Parx can be a funny track, some horses like it and some horses don't," Walsh said about the Pennsylvania Derby on the Oct. 6 episode of BloodHorse Monday. "We know he likes Keeneland, so it might be a good opportunity to win a race with him. The horse is doing good, and he's finally come together physically. I'm inclined to just draw a line through the Parx race and roll on with him."
BBN Racing's Bracket Buster has also shown an affinity for Keeneland, where trainer Vicki Oliver is based, breaking his maiden there last year and finishing runner-up to Gosger in the Lexington. His last two starts, a runner-up finish to Sovereignty in the Travers Stakes (G1) and victory in the Oklahoma Derby (G3), have earned him the edge as the 3-1 morning-line favorite compared to Gosger's 9-2.
At 7-2, Dragoon Guard holds the shortest odds among the older horses after returning to the win column in an impressive 4 1/4-length allowance optional claiming victory at Churchill Downs against Whit Beckman-trained returning rival and grade 2 winner, Ribble Farms and Lighthouse Racing's Honor Marie, last month. The Juddmonte homebred son of Arrogate makes his first start in stakes company this year after a pair of grade 3 wins last year for trainer Brad Cox.
Cox also enters Wathnan Racing's Dubai World Cup (G1) winner and defending Fayette winner Hit Show off a fourth in the Sept. 27 Lukas Classic Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. takes over in the saddle from the far outside post as Florent Geroux retains his mount on Dragoon Guard.
Lucky Seven Stable and Sharaf Mohamad Alhariri's Rattle N Roll finished sixth in the Lukas and aims to improve for Kenny McPeek in his second start since returning from a 5 1/2-month layoff. Bryan Carney's multiple stakes-placed Prince of Power, fifth in the Lukas, also returns Saturday for trainer Jesus Esquivel.
Also in the field are Town and Country Racing's Moonlight, a last-out allowance winner at Churchill Downs for trainer Chris Block; Carl R. Moore Management's stakes winner Lambeth for trainer Joe Sharp; Michael Ryan's graded stakes-placed Dilger, who was a narrow second in the Parx Dirt Mile Stakes last month for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.; and Steve Moger's grade 3 winner Best Actor trained by Ed Moger Jr.
Keeneland, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 9Entries: Hagyard Fayette S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Lambeth (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Joe Sharp 8/1 2 2Honor Marie (KY) Ben Curtis 122 D. Whitworth Beckman 20/1 3 3Bracket Buster (KY) John R. Velazquez 118 Victoria H. Oliver 3/1 4 4Dilger (IRE) Flavien Prat 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 12/1 5 5Moonlight (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Chris M. Block 8/1 6 6Rattle N Roll (KY) Emmanuel Esquivel 122 Kenneth G. McPeek 12/1 7 7Best Actor (KY) Luan Machado 122 Ed Moger, Jr. 30/1 8 8Prince of Power (KY) Javier Padron-Barcenas 122 Jesus Esquivel 30/1 9 9Dragoon Guard (KY) Florent Geroux 122 Brad H. Cox 7/2 10 10Gosger (KY) Luis Saez 118 Brendan P. Walsh 9/2 11 11Hit Show (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 126 Brad H. Cox 6/1
