Wakanaka's late bid takes down Fall Harvest to close out BC Day

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Wakanaka closed with a flourish to win the $350,000 Fall Harvest Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf, the final race on the card as darkness fell on Breeders' Cup Saturday at Keeneland.

Wakanaka ($9.98) capped a stellar day for trainer Bill Mott. The Hall of Famer saddled Elite Power to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint and Cody's Wish to win the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, and also sent out Olympiad to finish second in the Breeders' Cup Classic and War Like Goddess to finish third in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

Wakanaka, winner of the 2021 Italian 1000 Guineas, has won twice from seven starts in the U.S. this year, all in graded stakes for owners Team Valor and Gary Barber. Most recently, the filly has been campaigning at Woodbine, winning the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes in July, but most recently finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, which was won by today's Breeders' Cup Mile winner Modern Games. That rendered her a mild longshot in the field of six for the Fall Harvest, for which the favorites were Shantisara, a Grade 1 winner at Keeneland last fall but making her first start since finishing second in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley here in April; and Dalika, coming off back-to-back graded stakes wins in Kentucky, including the Grade 1 Beverly D.

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Burning Ambition made the early pace while prompted by Dalika, getting an opening half in 47.65 seconds on the firm turf, and coming to the quarter pole still holding on to a tenacious head lead through six furlongs in 1:11.91. At that point, the eventual winner was last of the six under Joel Rosario, who angled her out six-wide for her run, still with more than five lengths to make up. She steadily wore down the quintet in front of her and struck the front in the shadow of the wire to win by three-quarters of a length.

The final time for the mile was 1:35.37.

Henrietta Topham, who was fifth at the quarter pole, slipped through between horses and closed to be second as the longest shot on the board, edging the tenacious Burning Ambition by half a length. They were followed by Stolen Holiday, Shantisara, and Dalika.

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