Fully Subscribed wins the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland. (Coady Media)
Keeneland Press
Klaravich Stables’ Fully Subscribed continued to make her case for a divisional championship with an authoritative victory over the country’s best 3-year-old filly and a juvenile champion in Sunday’s featured $650,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) on Fall Stars Sunday at Keeneland.
The other winners on Sunday were Agate in the $400,000 Castle & Key Bourbon (G2) and Adonius (IRE) in the $350,000 Indian Summer (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select.
Matched up against just two rivals – multiple Grade 1 winner Counting Stars and 2024 champion 2-year-old filly Immersive – Fully Subscribed gave Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, trainer Chad Brown and jockey Flavien Prat their first wins in the Juddmonte Spinster.
Sent off as the 1-2 favorite off back-to-back graded stakes wins at Saratoga this summer, Fully Subscribed raced just to the outside of Immersive past the finish the first time and into the first turn. Immersive and Jose Ortiz held a narrow lead through the opening quarter in :24.19 and half in :48.43 over the fast main track.
Prat kept Fully Subscribed close to Immersive on the backstretch and toward the far turn, with 8-5 second choice Counting Stars and Irad Ortiz racing in third through 6 furlongs in 1:13. Fully Subscribed, a 9 3/4-length winner of the Personal Ensign (G1) last time out, cruised past Immersive at the five-sixteenths pole and opened up.
Fully Subscribed turned for home well clear as Counting Stars passed Immersive and made her first run to the outside. Counting Stars then ducked toward the rail but couldn’t gain on the leader past the eighth pole and the mile split of 1:37.56. Fully Subscribed rolled home from there, winning by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:50.60. Counting Stars finished 6 lengths clear of Immersive for the place spot.
Brown sent Fully Subscribed to Keeneland with a goal to get another Grade 1 victory as she tries to upend older dirt female division leader Nitrogen, while giving her a run over the track that will host the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). He accomplished both, and Fully Subscribed locked up a spot in the Distaff field by winning the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” event.
Bred by Payson Stud Inc. and a $35,000 graduate of the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Fully Subscribed has won six of 10 starts with three seconds and one third. She earned $403,000 for her third win in five starts this season and boosted her career bankroll to $1,441,800.
Fully Subscribed returned $3.08 to win with no place and show wagering after the scratches of Regaled and Snowyte.
Agate splits rivals late to win Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes
Dede McGehee’s homebred Agate saved ground and unleashed a strong stretch run to win the $400,000 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes.
The 2-year-old son of Karakontie (JPN) won by 1 3/4 lengths over Bold Leadership to give trainer Kelsey Danner and McGehee their first Keeneland stakes victory. Tyler Gaffalione rode Agate, who also locked up a spot in the field for the Oct. 30 Brown Advisory Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Keeneland with his win in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” event.
Agate came into the 1 1/16-mile Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes off a third in the Pepsi Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile (L) at Kentucky Downs. The 7-2 second choice, settled toward the back of the field of 10 2-year-olds while 37-1 longshot Trim Castle zipped to the lead under Danny Sheehy and opened up a 3-length lead through the opening quarter-mile in :22.39. Trim Castle, fifth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile, continued to lead onto the backstretch and clicked past the half in :46.27 on a 4½-length lead.
Gaffalione kept Agate in seventh on the inside, just ahead of Bold Leadership and Irad Ortiz Jr. through those early fractions and was still 10½ lengths back as Trim Castle rolled past 6 furlongs in 1:10.91. Agate picked off rivals around the far turn but was still in sixth turning for home, just as Florida shipper Heracles took over from Trim Castle.
Agate came off the rail just past three-sixteenths pole and surged past Blaring Ambition and Heracles to his inside and Real Goodbar inside the eighth pole. Agate widened his lead from there while Bold Leadership made his run to edge Real Goodbar late.
Agate won in 1:42.64 over the firm turf. Bold Leadership finished three-quarters of a length in front of Real Goodbar and Jose Ortiz for the place spot. Popcorn, Mid American, Mad Mo, Hemingway, Blaring Ambition, Heracles and Trim Castle completed the field.
Agate improved to 2-for-4 and picked up $232,500 to increase his earnings to $363,775. He paid $9.28, $4.04 and $3.22. Bold Leadership, the 5-2 second choice coming off a close second in the With Anticipation (G3) as a maiden, paid $3.40 and $2.98. Real Goodbar returned $5.28.
European import Adonius upsets Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Sales
Adonius (IRE), making his first start in the United States after beginning his career in England, stormed through the stretch to win the ninth running of the $350,000 Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select.
Owned by Riverdee Stable, West Paces Racing and Michael Hughes, Adonius earned an automatic berth in the Oct. 30 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) with his head victory over Love a Warrior in the 5½-furlong turf stakes. John Velazquez rode the 2-year-old son of Soldier’s Call (GB) for trainer Rebecca Menzies, who brought the gelding from her Howe Hills Stables training yard in England.
The 7-2 third choice in the field of nine, Adonius broke a step slow and raced toward the back of the field as the filly and 2-1 favorite Ruiva led through the opening quarter in :21.15 over the firm course. Ruiva, under Irad Ortiz Jr., continued to set the pace approaching the stretch and clicked past the half in :44.37.
Velazquez kept Adonius in the clear four or five paths off the rail early and on the turn. Second in back-to-back stakes events at the Glorious Goodwood in July and York’s Ebor Festival in August, Adonius continued to gain ground on the leaders through the stretch. Ruiva led by 2½ lengths in midstretch as the field led by previously unbeaten Skidmore (L) winner Wood Island and Love a Warrior closed in.
Love a Warrior and Luis Saez struck the front before Adonius made a late rush just before the finish to win in 1:03.46. Love a Warrior finished a nose in front of Wood Island, who edged Ruiva by a head. Fanshell Beach, Cactus Closer, Crack On, Bee Crazy and Ciarlatano completed the field.
Adonius improved to 4-for-6 and picked up $147,250 to boost his earnings to $268,798. Adonius returned $9.18, $5.88 and $3.96. Love a Warrior, a maiden making his third start for trainer Steve Asmussen, paid $18.10 and $8.56 while Wood Island returned $4.42.
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