Brilliant Berti holds edge over well-traveled Neat in Gun Runner Stakes

It does not take a handicapper or horseman long to figure out that Kentucky Downs is not for every horse. Sometimes form from more traditional racecourses carries over. Often it does not.

“I don’t really try to guess who’s going to like it,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux. “You point for a race and hope they do. It’s kind of flippant to say wait and see, but all you can do is wait and see.”

DeVaux has the 3-year-old Brilliant Berti in the $1.5 million Gun Runner Stakes on Sunday. And if Brilliant Berti enjoys his first spin around Kentucky Downs, he’ll win.

Brilliant Berti reeled off three in a row this spring and summer at Churchill Downs, rising from the maiden ranks to easily capture the $250,000 American Derby in late June. That form carried to Colonial Downs, where Brilliant Berti was second after chasing home Trikari in the Secretariat Stakes. Trikari, aimed at the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile in October, could very well be the best 3-year-old middle-distance grass horse in North America.

“I think he ran his race and just got beat by a better horse,” said DeVaux. “He still ran a great race last time out. We need to see if he’s going to reproduce his races at different tracks. If he doesn’t run well on this course, we’re not going to hold it against him.”

Brilliant Berti is part of an overflow field entered in the one-mile Gun Runner, which is restricted to 3-year-olds and has a $1 million base purse, the other half-million paid out to Kentucky-breds. DeVaux has a second runner, the deep closer Depiction, who was no match for Brilliant Berti in the American Derby, his most recent start.

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DeVaux believes the Kentucky course has demanded that horses establish forward early position, which has been true in most races, though that was not the case last weekend in the Juvenile Sprint, where the Rob Atras-trained Chasing Liberty came barreling home from the back of the field, elevated from second to first via disqualification. Atras will try to go 2 for 2 at the meet with Neat, the likely second choice in the Gun Runner.

Neat failed to run to his baseline in the American Turf at Churchill in May, but his other four starts this year produced wins at Sam Houston in the Texas Turf Mile, at Keeneland in the Transylvania, at Aqueduct in the Manila, and on Aug. 2 in the Hall of Fame at Saratoga. Whatever happens Sunday, Neat has had a great season, with earnings of more than $700,000.

“He’s come a long way, really matured and gotten stronger,” Atras said.

Neat drew post 12, not ideal, but not of great concern to Atras, who has given the call to Junior Alvarado, aboard for the last two wins.

“He’s usually pretty sharp out of the gate. I just want him to get into a good tactical position,” said Atras.

Neat debuted last season at Kentucky Downs and barely ran a step. Atras said a rain-soaked course Neat probably didn’t handle could have contributed to the poor showing.

Aspenite handled the Kentucky Downs course twice in 2023, finishing second in a rich sales-restricted race before going wire to wire in the Juvenile.

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“He’s had a nice freshening for this and with him running as well as he did last year, we planned on getting him back to Kentucky Downs since he won the Juvenile,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, Aspenite’s trainer.

Aspenite figures to show speed, as should a few others in the Gun Runner. If Brilliant Berti shows his true ability, he figures to win.

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