Last Samurai Needs Sharp Effort in Fayette

Thoroughbred owner Willis Horton died earlier this month at age 82, but one of his stable stars, Last Samurai , fights on in the $350,000 Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) Oct. 29 at Keeneland, matched against First Captain  and four others.

Willis Horton Racing's Last Samurai, a 4-year-old Malibu Moon  colt, provided Horton with a graded win this year when he triumphed by four lengths in the April 23 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at Horton's home track, Oaklawn Park. Horton was a resident of Marshall, Ark.

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Trained through the Oaklawn Handicap by Dallas Stewart, Last Samurai has made his last three starts for Stewart's former boss, Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, who trained Will Take Charge  , the champion 3-year-old male of 2013, for Horton.

Lukas has won the Fayette once, taking it in 1989 with Drapeau Tricolore.

To win Saturday's closing day, 1 1/8-mile Fayette, Last Samurai needs a return to peak form after finishing fifth in the Charles Town Classic (G2) Aug. 26. That was his second rear half-finish in three stakes tries for Lukas, with a third-place finish in the R. A. "Cowboy" Jones Overnight Stakes at Ellis Park Aug. 6 being his best effort over that stretch. He was also seventh in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs July 2.

Breaking Saturday from the outside in post 6, Last Samurai appears to have the speed to gain a forward position under Tyler Gaffalione in a Fayette short of pace. Only the rail-drawn West Will Power  appears to have early speed.

Two other graded winners this year, Fulsome  and First Captain, are off-the-pace threats. The former is 3-for-5 this year, winning the West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3) and Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3), and the latter is 2-for-5, taking an allowance optional claimer and the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3).

First Captain rose in class after winning the Pimlico Special, running a close second behind Dynamic One  in the July 9 Suburban Stakes (G2) and third behind Olympiad   and Americanrevolution  in the Sept. 3 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), both in New York. 

Shug McGaughey trains the 4-year-old son of Curlin   for the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Bobby Flay, and Woodford Racing. Luis Saez rides.

According to assistant trainer Anthony Hamilton, First Captain is "where he wants to be" going into the Fayette, a race that could propel him toward the $750,000 Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs.

"But let's see how things go this weekend first," he said.

Juddmonte's Fulsome, a 4-year-old colt by Into Mischief  , failed to fire when passing only tired horses in his latest when cut back to one turn in the one-mile Ack Ack Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs Oct. 1. He won a 1 1/16-mile race in the slop at Keeneland in his only prior start at the Lexington oval in April 2021.

Brad Cox has given the ride to regular jockey Florent Geroux. The duo teamed to win the 2018 Fayette with Leofric  .

Chess Chief  and King Fury , both graded winners in 2021 but winless in 2022, complete the field.

King Fury won a sloppy renewal of the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland in the spring of last year in his sole win in four local attempts. He was also third in a sloppy Fayette last year behind Independence Hall   and Code of Honor  .

Entries: Hagyard Fayette S. (G2)

Keeneland, Saturday, October 29, 2022, Race 9

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $350,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:16 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1West Will Power (KY)	Joel Rosario	121	Brad H. Cox	4/1
2	2Chess Chief (VA)	Reylu Gutierrez	121	Dallas Stewart	10/1
3	3Fulsome (KY)	Florent Geroux	123	Brad H. Cox	3/1
4	4First Captain (KY)	Luis Saez	123	Claude R. McGaughey III	6/5
5	5King Fury (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	121	Kenneth G. McPeek	8/1
6	6Last Samurai (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	123	D. Wayne Lukas	6/1