As Keeneland concludes its fifth fall meet with Polytrack as the
main racing surface, the general consensus is that horses with
established synthetic form tend to have an edge, although grass horses
also fare well on Poly. These handicapping tenets will be mixed and
matched to their limits Saturday when the $150,000 Fayette Stakes helps
to close the 17-day fall meet.
Stately Victor and Exhi, both heretofore standouts on Poly, are
among the 10 3-year-olds and upward in the 52nd running of the Grade 2
Fayette, a 1 1/8-mile fixture that also drew several other horses who
have known synthetic success, including Dubious Miss, winner of the
Grade 3 Ben Ali here last spring. Moreover, the field includes Battle
of Hastings, whose $1.2 million bankroll was earned primarily on turf,
and Boots Ahead and Cherokee Artist, both of whom have run the
occasional huge race on grass.
Stately Victor, trained by Mike Maker, ran sensationally over the
Poly in capturing the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at 40-1 here in the
spring. After three failed efforts on other surfaces versus elite
3-year-old company, the colt returned to Polytrack at Woodbine, blowing
away the opposition in the Sept. 25 Ontario Derby.
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