Tenacious leader aims for upset in Bryan Station Stakes

$600,000, Grade 3 bryan station stakes Saturday was the penultimate main stakes race of the 2025 Keeneland Fall Meet, and the one-mile turf race for 3-year-old horses had a full 12-horse area on Saturday, with three horses additionally eligible to compete. With a lukewarm variety of favorites at 9-2 on the morning line, this 12 months’s version guarantees to have loads of aggressive intrigue and a few contenders value betting on.

Notably, seven out of a dozen main horses within the area are sired by Not This Time. Mesero He attracts the rail submit for coach Dale Romance, who has beforehand gained at this distance and on this course. golden afternoon He simply completed runner-up within the G1 Ainsworth Franklin Simpson Stakes at Kentucky Downs and can look to repeat the 108 Equibase Velocity Determine he gained final time below coach Nicholas Vaccarezza. delinquent He additionally raced within the Franklin Simpson, the place he completed fourth, simply two lengths behind, and gained a career-best 105 equibase determine. troubleshooting Jockey Franklin Simpson gained the race in opposition to three Bryan Station runners, incomes a 109, the horse’s finest remaining Equibase determine. Remaining Gambit, who completed fourth on this 12 months’s Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve, can be coach Brad Cox’s fourth consecutive begin on grass and may have jockey Luan Machado again within the saddle for the primary time for the reason that Derby. dream on He completed fifth in final 12 months’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, simply 2 1/4 lengths behind Henri Matisse, however is seeking to discover the winner’s circle after ending out of the cash in his previous two begins.

recreation warrior Each of coach Peter Miller’s profession wins at this mile distance have been on turf. The horse ran within the Grade 2 Jockey Membership Derby Invitational Stakes at Massive A Belmont in early October, his first run outdoors of California, and completed sixth, simply three and a half lengths behind. tenacious chief He took a 12 months off after making a bid for the 2024 G1 Breeders’ Futurity, however gained Keeneland’s 1 1/16-mile allowance race on turf on the occasion’s opening card. John Velasquez, who has already gained 5 main races at Keeneland, can be using once more for coach Todd Pletcher. G2 Secretariat S winner Jocoso He’s the favourite for coach Keith Desormeaux with a file of 9 wins and a couple of losses. He ran second to Plensa at Bryan Station within the Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs, however narrowly missed out on a win in his most up-to-date outing. Simulate is on the lookout for his first win in a graded stakes after Jocoso completed second in Secretariat and seventh within the Grade 3 DK Nash Builder Bee Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs. Coach Rusty Arnold’s Gun Runner Stakes winner Plensa is 2-1 over this mile distance on turf. With out a scratch, Salamis He’s recent off a successful streak, together with a first-place end within the Gio Ponti Stakes at Massive A Belmont. Day and Age, Calvin’s Experience and Jimmy’s Dailies are additionally eligible. Jimmy’s Dairies is betting on grime, however a draw could be his first profession begin on grass.

Evaluation and important candidates:

tenacious chief entered Bryan Station as one of many lightest race runners within the area, making his sixth profession begin. After ending fifth within the grime dash at Saratoga in his profession debut as a 2-year-old, the Not This Time stallion instantly confirmed his skill by successful his second begin by four-and-three-quarters of a size in a one-mile race on the turf at Saratoga. He then stepped up at school within the G3 with Anticipation Stakes on turf, the place he confirmed unimaginable grit and battled horses to complete second by a neck to Zulu Kingdom, who went on to win a number of graded stakes, together with the G1. Regardless of his success on turf, Tenacious Chief’s connections led him to run within the G1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity 1.5 miles away at Keeneland. DIRTY, WHERE A collision on the break jeopardized the journey, resulting in a sixth place end. He then took a break from racing for 364 days, however resurfaced on the primary day of this Keeneland meet, working 1 1/16 miles on the turf for a pointy allowance win and incomes an equal base velocity determine of 105. His connections are purple scorching at a latest recreation at Keeneland. Over the previous 12 months (over three video games), the Corridor of Fame duo of Todd Pletcher and John Velasquez teamed as much as win 38% (5 of 13), 54% within the cash, and an 18% ROI. Tenacious Chief ranks second amongst these horses in late tempo score (114.0) and appears poised to make a giant step ahead at morning odds of 12-1 in his second begin after the layoff.

salamis This can be his sixth profession begin. This Speightstown product is a half-brother to turf grade stakes winner Segesta, and has proven regular progress since his debut. Salamis, who began his profession on grime with an 8-5 favourite and a fourth-place end at Aqueduct final November, improved upon switching to grass, posting back-to-back third-place finishes in route races at Gulfstream Park and Keeneland. With that Keeneland effort, he completed simply behind World Beater, who went on to win three stakes. Salamis, who returned to New York for his fourth profession begin, recorded a formidable first profession win at Saratoga over a mile of turf. He then took a decisive win within the Listed Gio Ponti Stakes at Massive A at Belmont, once more racing the mile on turf and incomes a career-best 102 equal base velocity determine. Flavien Prat, who rode Salamis in each wins, will stay ridden by coach Chad Brown. Platt has an 11% win price in opposition to Keeneland, however his general efficiency on turf stays elite, with 27% of his wins general on turf and 26% of his wins in graded stakes on turf over the previous 12 months. Salamis returns to Kentucky in prime kind, posting two wins and three wins over three races over this mile of turf. Listed at 6-1 on the AM line, he presents each sturdy kind and enticing worth.

Stuffed with playfulness One other stallion, Not This Time, can be 12 years outdated.^th The beginning of a profession. He took his first win in his third profession begin with a commanding 6 1/4 size lead on the 1 1/16-mile Ellis Park on grass. Giocorso adopted that up with a third-place end in final 12 months’s G3 Iroquois Stakes on grime at Churchill Downs earlier than making his first begin on Keeneland turf, ending sixth within the G2 Fortress & Key Bourbon Stakes. Giocoso ended his two-year season with an allowance win at Churchill on the grass route in November 2024. As a 3-year-old, he confronted early challenges at different tracks, ending final within the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes on grime on the Fairgrounds and fifth behind Bryan Station fielder Remaining Gambit within the Jeff Ruby Steak on the all-weather observe at Turfway Park. After that, he took a brief break and returned in Could to race within the ultra-competitive Grade 1 American Turf S (Churchill Racecourse hosted by Ford), ending fifth behind Zulu Kingdom. Regardless of ending out of the cash, Giocoso gained from the expertise and shortly returned to win the Secretariat Stakes over Brian Station runners Simulate, Anti-Social and Dream On. Final time within the Gun Runner Stakes, he completed second behind the stallion Plensa, who he’ll compete in opposition to once more at Bryan Station. Giocoso has twice completed first and as soon as in one-mile races on grass, and has confirmed he can beat his rivals on the graded stakes stage. Jockey Ben Curtis, who has ridden him in his final three begins, seems to have discovered the important thing to conserving him within the saddle once more and getting the very best out of Jocoso.

The remainder of the sphere has posted the best Equibase velocity numbers in comparable races. Waiter (98), golden afternoon (108), delinquent (105), troubleshooting (109), remaining gambit (106), dream on (112), recreation warrior (104), simulate (102), Plensa (102), day of the week and age (AE) (106), calvin’s experience (AE) (105), and jimmy’s every day life (AE) (105).