Hebbronville rides rail to win Perryville Stakes

Hebbronville snuck up the rail under jockey Joe Bravo to kick off Saturday's card at Keeneland with a flying finish, stealing the $100,000 Perryville Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters in the final strides. The race was one of three stakes on the Breeders' Cup undercard.

In a wild scramble down the backstretch, Lewys Vaporizer, making his stakes debut, assumed command through a brisk opening quarter of 22.15 seconds. The gelding still led through the half in 44.79, but Lord Commander and Prime Engine were revving up on his outside.

Lewys Vaporizer fended off those initial challenges, but Hebbronville ($18) and Bravo, who had saved ground all the way after breaking from the rail, rallied up the inside to seize the lead inside the final sixteenth, edging his way to a half-length margin at the wire. The colt stopped the clock in 1:09.78 on Keeneland's track, rated fast.

Bayerd rallied on the outside to edge Lewys Vaporizer by a head for second, with the top three finishing another four lengths clear of Prime Engine.

Hebbronville, trained by Lynn Whiting, was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob at Parx, a race Bayerd was also a close third in. The race's runner-up, Limousine Liberal, goes later in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Earlier in the summer, Hebbronville won the Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes. He now owns five career stakes wins or placings.