Troubleshooting (inside) getting the victory. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Keeneland Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Donamire Farm’s homebred Troubleshooting passed early leader Golden Afternoon on the final turn and then held off a rallying Tenacious Leader by a neck at the finish to win the $600,000 Bryan Station (G3), the second of three stakes on Saturday’s closing day of the Fall Meet at Keeneland.
A 3-year-old colt by Not This Time, the sire of the race’s first four finishers, Troubleshooting was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Greg Foley. His time for the 1-mile race on a firm turf course was 1:35.78.
Troubleshooting paid $9.76, $5.76 and $4.54. Tenacious Leader, ridden by John Velazquez, returned $7.76 and $6.20. Finishing 1½ lengths behind in third was Giocoso, who paid $6.24 under Ben Curtis.
Completing the order of finish were Dream On, Salamis, Golden Afternoon, Mesero, Final Gambit, Antisocial, Simulate, Plensa and Game Warrior.
Troubleshooting, who won the $2 million Ainsworth-Franklin Simpson (G1) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 6 in his last start, is a Kentucky-bred out of Into Trouble, by Into Mischief. He earned $339,450
Quotes for the $600,000 Bryan Station (G3)
Tyler Gaffalione (winning rider of Troubleshooting): “It really was (pretty straightforward). He’s got a ton of natural ability. He shows good pace and puts himself in a great spot. (Trainer) Greg (Foley) has done a great job with him. He brought him over here ready to run. (Troubleshooting has) been working great and he really showed it all today. To be honest, I got to the lead a little easier than I was expecting. I asked him to run, and he really kicked on about the eighth pole. He started looking around a little bit, so I gave him a couple of reminders and he really finished his job well.”
Greg Foley (winning trainer): “It’s been a great ride. At Kentucky Downs (winning the Ainsworth Franklin-Simpson-G1 Sept. 6), a $2 million pot and a Grade 1, and then to come over here and get this one back-to-back — it’s been a heck of a ride. Let’s put it this way: I’m glad the Breeders’ Cup is here next year. We just were talking about it before today, even just that he would take us, and if he’s doing well, maybe we could have a shot at it next year. I don’t know why we don’t. He just gets better all the time. He’s a big, gorgeous horse. Congrats to the Balls: (owner) Mrs. (Mira) Ball (of Donamire Farm) and (son and daughter-in-law) Mike and Kay Kay. He’s a homebred; they raised him, so give them all the credit.”
Ben Curtis (rider of third-place finisher Giocoso): “The horses in the outside gates were really playing up beforehand. It’s hard for a horse to stay focused, and he just took a step back, and it put us on the back foot. I kind of had to put him into the race. He got a little bit fired up around the first turn and did too much, but I tried to save as much as I could to keep him in there. He had a big run at the end. He had horses pressing against him on both sides. He’s a big horse, he’s an immature horse. He ran another stellar race.”
