To the delight of the 17,148 fans in attendance on a beautiful autumn day in Lexington, Ky.,Keeneland's first day of FallStars Weekend opened on Friday, Oct. 9, 2010, with a masterful performance by Wickedly Perfect, who led from start to finish to win the 59th running of the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (gr. 1), the first major stakes race of the 2010 fall meet.
The 2-year old filly out of Congrats-Wickedly Wise, by Tactical Cat, won the race by two lengths over Harlan's Ruby and ran the 1 1/16th mile race on the Polytrack in 1:46.26. Finishing third was Jordy Y.
"Doug (O'Neill) did such a great training job," jockey Rafael Bejarano said after the race in a BloodHorse.com article. "She was relaxed in the first quarter; she was so relaxed I knew she could do anything in the race. I think she's going to be tough (in the BC Juvenile Fillies). She won't have to be on the lead next time."
O'Neill agreed with Bejarano, adding, "She always trained like a filly that wanted to run long. That’s why we put blinkers on her in her very first start. She's shown amazing speed in all her races, but she's always acted like a filly that would want to go a distance of ground."
With the win, Wickedly Perfect improved her career record to three wins in four starts, with $404,600 in prize money. In addition, as Bejarano mentioned, she secured a spot in the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. 1), which will be run on Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.
Coming out of the gate, Bejarano, who had just won the Phoenix Stakes (gr. 3) in he previous race, guided Wickedly Perfect (profile) to the front, where he let the filly dictate the terms of the race through modest fractions of :24.48, :50.19 and 1:15.95.
As the pack turned for home, Wonderlandbynight (profile) made a small bid for the lead with a quarter to go, but Wickedly Perfect would have none of it, as she gamely pulled clear and ran for the wire.
Harlan's Ruby (profile), with Julien Leparoux riding, was stuck behind horses on the final turn, then split between horses heading into the stretch and tried to catch the leaders. However, while she and Jordy Y, with Junior Alvarado riding, were able to pass Wonderlandbynight, neither had enough to catch Wickedly Perfect, who won by two lengths ahead of Harlan's Ruby, with Jordy Y (profile) finishing third and Wonderlandbynight coming in fourth.
Wickedly Perfect, the race favorite, paid $5.00, $3.20 and $2.40 for the win. Harlan's Ruby returned $4.80 and $2.80 for second, while Jordy Y paid $3.00. The $2 exacta paid $24.60 and the $2 trifecta paid $68.20.
In the other stakes race of the day held just before the Darley Alcibiades, Wise Dan took the $175,000 Phoenix Stakes (gr. 3), finishing just a half-length ahead of Hollywood Hit (profile). Warrior's Reward (profile) finished third.
Wise Dan (profile), with Bejarano riding, closed from third to first in the stretch to get the victory, which is his first stakes win in just his fourth career start. He ran the six furlong race on the Polytrack in 1:09.20.
The 3-year old son of Wiseman's Fury now has three wins in four career starts and has collected $148,274 in prize money. He also earned a spot in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. 1) at Churchill on Nov. 6. However, a decision will be made at a later date as to whether he will run in the race.
Going of at 6-to-1 odds, Wise Dan paid $15.20, $7.0 and $4.00. The race favorite, Hollywood Hit, paid $4.20 and $3.00, while Warrior's Reward returned $2.80. The $2 exacta returned $72.20, while the $2 trifecta paid $233.40.
Racing resumes at Keeneland on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010 with 11 races starting at 1 p.m.
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