FallStars Diaries: Opening Day

FallStars is one of the best times of the year to be in the Blue Grass; Keeneland’s autumn meet is a spectacular showcase of Thoroughbred racing and all of the fun that comes along with it, and I was lucky enough to be along for the ride on this year’s Opening Day.
I was especially excited for opening day to begin since Keeneland was debuting its brand new dirt course, which replaced the synthetic surface that had been in place for since the fall of 2006. Keeneland took great care in installing the new dirt surface, and I couldn’t wait to see how the horses liked the track in a race-day scenario.

Unfortunately, it seems that Mother Nature didn’t really share in my enthusiasm since it was absolutely pouring all of Friday morning. By the time of the first race, the track was listed as “muddy” but “pea soup” would also have been accurate.

But the great thing about racehorses and jockeys is that they’re tough as nails and a little bit of mud wasn’t going to scare anyone off. The same goes for racing fans: despite the damp, there was a huge crowd on hand to witness the kickoff of FallStars weekend.

After a mile and a sixteenth, it was WinStar Farm’s Race Day who took home the very first race on the new dirt track with jockey Rosie Napravnik in the irons for trainer Kellyn Gorder.

I caught up with a few jockeys after the race, and I think they had more answers about how the new dirt tasted than anything else!

Despite getting a little dirty, the jocks I overheard seemed very happy with the new dirt track, and I think it’s going to be a ton of fun to see how the surface plays over the rest of the meet through Oct. 25.
After the premiere of the new dirt track, I headed back up to the press box to keep dry and eat a bowl of burgoo, the signature soup of Lexington, Ky. Burgoo is a delicious stew comprised of beef and vegetables served in a hearty, peppery stock. It’s something I look forward to overeating every time I go to Kentucky, and Keeneland’s version of it is some of the very best. I would have taken a photo of it, but I was too busy savoring it to snap a picture. My bad! But I do have a photo of the view from Keeneland’s press box, which is perhaps one of the most stunning in the nation. Burgoo and a view like this? It’s basically heaven.

After warming up for a while, I headed back downstairs to take in the beauty that is Keeneland in autumn. Everywhere I turned, people were crowded to see the Thoroughbreds who were shining like beacons despite the cloudy skies.

Before I knew it, it was time for the first big stakes race of the day: the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes. The Phoenix is one of the nation’s oldest and most historic races, and the 2014 edition was the 162nd running of the ¾ mile main track event. As the horses paraded in the paddock and prepared to head to the track, fans lined the walking ring to catch the best view of the Phoenix runners.

And they were treated to a spectacle as Work All Week got the job done with ease, taking the Phoenix by an easy length between him and runner-up C. Zee.

The very next race was the biggest of the afternoon: the Darley Alcibiades. (Side note: you know you’re obsessed with horse racing for a while when your phone suggests “Alcibiades” to you in autocorrect. It’s also probably true for the fact that it also suggested “alcohol,” but that’s a story for another time. 

The Darley Alcibiades is one of the most prestigious horse races for two-year-old fillies, and the winner gains a free trip to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 1 at Santa Anita Park in Los Angeles, CA.  So it was no surprise that 12 fillies were lined up to take the challenge in the Alcibiades, and as they prepared for the race in the paddock the heavens once again opened up as the rain resumed.

But despite the damp, the fillies made their way to the starting gate, and the crowd roared its approval as the Thoroughbreds leapt onto the track and the race began.

In an absolutely flawlessly-timed ride, jockey Julien Leparoux stole the show aboard Peace and War, thundering up on the outside to nab runner-up Top Decile at the wire at odds of 23-1.

The smile on his face as he returned to the winner’s circle spoke volumes, and it’s going to be great fun to see this duo at the World Championships next month!

With that, opening day of FallStars weekend was in the history books, and I can’t wait to experience the rest of the best as Saturday and Sunday’s races commence at Keeneland in the heart of Blue Grass country.