Independence Hall romps in Fayette Stakes
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lone speed is always dangerous, especially in the slop. So when Independence Hall inherited the early lead with no pressure Saturday in the Grade 2, $200,000 Fayette Stakes, the opposition was in trouble.
Sure enough, Independence Hall and jockey Javier Castellano easily turned back an upper-stretch bid from Code of Honor when going on to a 7 1/4-length romp in the 1 1/8-mile Fayette as Keeneland closed its 17-day fall meet with three straight stakes run amid blustery conditions.
Castellano said the early scratch of the expected front-runner, Sleepy Eyes Todd, changed his thoughts on how the race could unfold.
“When I handicapped the race, I didn’t see too much speed,” he said. “I thought if I put him in a forward position he could carry himself all the way around the track. The case today was maybe I could go wire to wire.”
Independence Hall, a 4-year-old Constitution colt trained by Michael McCarthy, returned $9 as third choice after finishing in 1:50.30 over a sloppy surface. Code of Honor, the 9-5 favorite, was second in a field of eight, another length before King Fury, the 2-1 second choice.
Independence Hall was coming off a runner-up finish in the Oct. 2 Lukas Classic behind Knicks Go, one of the favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Classic next Saturday at Del Mar. He now has won five of 13 starts, with this being his first graded victory since he won the Grade 3 Nashua in November 2019 when still trained by Mike Trombetta.
Trainer Miguel Silva said Saturday afternoon he preferred not to run Sleepy Eyes Todd, a $2-million earner, over the wet track.
The $2 exacta (5-7) paid $33.60, the $1 trifecta (5-7-6) returned $30.40, and the 10-cent superfecta (5-7-6-4) was worth $5.57.
Camp Hope takes Bryan Station
Capping a terrific last two days of the meet for trainer Ken McPeek, Camp Hope got a textbook stalking trip under Brian Hernandez Jr. before drawing away to a 2 3/4-length triumph over Like the King in the $150,000 Bryan Station, run at a mile over a yielding turf.
“As long as he got his position early, we thought he could show he was the best horse in the race,” Hernandez said. “Everything worked out real well.”
Camp Hope, a Summer Front colt owned by the Walking L Thoroughbreds, paid $7 as favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds after finishing the one-mile distance in 1:38.32 in giving McPeek his fourth win over the last two cards. The victory also bookended a perfect meet for Camp Hope, an easy winner of a turf allowance on Oct. 8 - opening day of the meet.
Two earlier races scheduled for the turf (races 2 and 5) were transferred to the main track. The Keeneland Turf Pick 3 wager remained in effect, with the $3 minimum returning $1,301.10.
Nakatomi wins Bowman Mill
Nakatomi surged past My Prankster in the final yards for his first stakes victory in the $150,000 Bowman Mill for 2-year-old sprinters.
Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Wesley Ward, Nakatomi paid $6.20 after finishing six furlongs in 1:10.33 in the slop. The Firing Line gelding has now won two of five starts, with his prior win coming on debut over the slop here in April. He’s owned by Marc Detampel, Qatar Racing, and Bottle Rocket Stable.
“I just let him take his time and get his feet under him,” Gaffalione said. “He kicked when I asked him.”
My Prankster, the 2-1 favorite, was three-quarters of a length behind the winner while Chattalot, a last-out winner of an allowance over Nakatomi at Churchill Downs, faded to third in a field of seven after leading to the top of the stretch.
*** Live action on the Kentucky circuit moves Sunday to Churchill for a dirt-only, 21-day fall meet that runs through Nov. 28. All 11 opening-day races are for 2-year-olds.