The feature race on opening day of the 2011 Keeneland Fall Meeting is the $175,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) for 2-year-old fillies, a "Win and You're In" race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. A field of 13 went to post for this 1 1/16 mile Polytrack event before the 19,026 on hand at the historic Lexington oval, with undefeated Tu Endie Wei sent off as the lukewarm 2-1 favorite off her wins in the My Dear and Ontario Debutante, both at Woodbine. In to challenge her included 4-1 second choice Egg Drop, winner of her debut at Del Mar, and 7-1 third choice And Why Not, third in the Spinaway (G1) last out.
40-1 longest shot On Fire Baby dueled for the lead with 14-1 Cheerleader for the first 3/4 mile through fractions of 23.28, 47.08, and 1:11.97 while as many as 2 1/2 lengths in front of the rest of 17-1 Putthebabiesdown third. On the turn, the pacesetters tired as 18-1 Heart of Destiny moved up to take the lead through 1 mile in 1:37.08. However, 10-1 Stephanie's Kitten, 9th early, closed on the outside to win by 1 1/2 lengths n 1:43.12. It was just a neck back to Putthebabiesdown third. Favorite Tu Endie Wei finished 7th beaten 7 3/4 lengths
Reade Baker, trainer of beaten favorite Tu Endie Wei said, "I don’t know if we’ll go on to the Breeders’ Cup; that’s up to (owner-breeder Brereton Jones). She really got fired up in the gate. Your stalls are much wider and make a lot more noise than ours in Canada and she didn’t like it.”
FallStars Saturday at Keeneland including the Shadwell Turf Mile and four other graded stakes
Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) and Bourbon Stakes from Sunday
