Wonder Wheel just hangs on to take Alcibiades, punch ticket to BC Juvenile Fillies

LEXINGTON, Ky. – While her 13 rivals had varying degrees of trouble or simply were found wanting, Wonder Wheel led them all on a merry chase Friday when holding on for a narrow victory in the Grade 1, $497,337 Alcibiades Stakes as Keeneland kicked off its 2022 fall meet amid brilliant fall weather.

Wonder Wheel, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, “had a great trip, while some of the others might not have,” said trainer Mark Casse, who was winning the Alcibiades for the fourth time. “This ought to set us up for the next one.”

Casse was referring to the Win and You’re In berth that Wonder Wheel earned toward the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, which will be run here Nov. 4 at the same 1 1/16-mile distance.

Breaking cleanly from post 1, Wonder Wheel got into a smooth rhythm into the first turn and down the backstretch under careful rating from Gaffalione. She sped further clear with a quarter-mile to go, then was put to a fierce drive in the final furlong when lasting by a long nose over Chop Chop, one of three tightly bunched 2-year-old fillies giving her closest chase to the wire.

Wonder Wheel, owned by the D. J. Stable of Leonard Green, returned $10.20 as the lukewarm favorite after finishing in 1:45.17 over a fast track.

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Chop Chop, a 6-1 shot under Joel Rosario, closed best of all when finishing a neck before Raging Sea, who in turn had 3 1/4 lengths on Xigera. However, after a stewards’ inquiry and an objection from Joe Talamo, who rode Xigera, Raging Sea was disqualified to fourth for interference, with Xigera placed third.

Fun and Feisty, a last-out winner of the Pocahontas Stakes, was no factor when eighth of 14 as the 9-2 second choice.

Wonder Wheel, a Kentucky-bred daughter of uber-sire Into Mischief, now has won three of four starts. She won a maiden race and the Debutante at Churchill Downs before finishing second in the Grade 1 Spinaway on closing weekend of the Saratoga meet. The Alcibiades was her first try around two turns.

“Getting the distance over this track and running as well as she did, hopefully that means good things for the next one here,” said Casse.

Chop Chop, making her first start on dirt after opening her career with two turf wins, including the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies in a very tight photo, “ran a big one today,” said her trainer, Brad Cox. “Sometimes you win those photos and sometimes you don’t.”

The $2 exacta (1-2) paid $90.96, the $1 trifecta (1-2-5) returned $423.86, and the 10-cent superfecta (1-2-5-4) was worth $198.57.

Casse’s prior winners of the Alcibiades were Spring In the Air (2012), My Conquestadory (2013), and Heavenly Love (2017). The record for a trainer is six, held by D. Wayne Lukas.

* The richest card of the 17-day meet is set for Saturday, when five graded stakes topped by the $1 million Coolmore Turf Mile anchor an 11-race card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern.

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