V V's Dream, Brightwork Face Rematch in Alcibiades

In mid-summer, trainer Kenny McPeek is already planning for the fall, and true to plan, he has two entrants in the $600,000 Alcibiades Stakes (G1) Oct. 6 as part of Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend.

The opening-day Alcibiades is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series gateway to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) by providing the winner an automatic and free entry to the $2 million race Nov. 3 at Santa Anita Park.  

"I buy a certain type of horse and focus on getting the younger horses to go longer in the fall," said McPeek. "I don't put much emphasis on the sprint races. Admittedly, it is not my forte. When it's time to stretch out, we try to have them ready fitness-wise, and then you hope you have one with enough talent to pull it off."

In this year's Alcibiades, a race McPeek has won five times and been second eight times, the trainer will be saddling 5-2 morning-line second choice V V's Dream  and 15-1 longshot Shimmering Allure .

V V's Dream, a gray or roan daughter of freshman sire Mitole   raced by MJM Racing and Magdalena Racing, comes into the Alcibiades off an 8 3/4-length win in the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. She has won two of three career starts, her only loss to Alcibiades morning-line favorite Brightwork .

"We did not run her in most of July and all of August for freshening to make sure she is ready for the fall. So long as she handles the two turns, I think she will be formidable," McPeek said. "I'm looking forward to a rematch with (Brightwork). I'm pretty confident in our filly's talent level. I'm hoping having given her the summer off gives us a little bit of an edge going into this race and the Breeders' Cup."

McPeek bought V V's Dream for $190,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Brian Hernandez Jr. will ride her from post 5.

Walking L Thoroughbreds' Shimmering Allure was a modestly priced $40,000 purchase in 2022 at Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale. As a racehorse, she's made steady progress with a win and two seconds from four starts. The daughter of freshman sire Enticed   comes into the Alcibiades off his maiden win at a mile Sept. 20 at Churchill Downs. McPeek said she is "ultra-professional and really done nothing wrong."

"She needs to show that she is a little bit faster, but it is not a terrible thing to even run third in a race like the Alcibiades," he said.

Julien Leparoux will ride Shimmering Allure.

The Competition

• WSS Racing's Brightwork is undefeated in four starts and comes into the Alcibiades with wins in Spinaway Stakes (G1), Adirondack Stakes (G3), and Debutante Stakes (where she beat V V's Dream by half a length). She is a daughter of Outwork   and a half sister to stakes-placed winner Quiet Company  (Temple City  ).
• Stonestreet Stables and trainer Brad Cox have entered maiden winner Emery , a daughter of More Than Ready out of multiple stakes winner Athena . Bought as a weanling for $235,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale from Nursery Place, Emery won her debut at Saratoga Race Course on a muddy track by 5 3/4 lengths going six furlongs. She worked five furlongs Sept. 29 at Churchill Downs in :59 2/5.