Fully Subscribed, Counting Stars clash in Spinster

If Fully Subscribed runs anywhere close to her effort in the Aug. 29 Personal Ensign (G1) in the $650,000 Spinster (G1) at Keeneland on Sunday, it’s doubtful she can be beaten.

One of the traditional highlights of the Keeneland fall meet, the 1 1/8-mile Spinster attracted only five entries, but at most four will start, with Regaled likely to run in the Delaware H. (G3) on Saturday.

Without the presence of division-leading Nitrogen, Fully Subscribed ran away from her Personal Ensign foes as the odds-on choice, scoring by more than nine lengths. It was a peak performance for the Chad Brown trainee, who had previously won the Shuvee (G3) after finishing a distant second to Nitrogen in the Ogden Phipps (G1).

The lone three-year-old in the Spinster, Counting Stars, increasingly looks like this year’s champion of her class. Despite a surprise loss in the Alabama (G1), other contenders for the crown have either fallen by the wayside or have run out of time to enhance their body of work. A reasonable second-place finish or mildly surprising win in the Spinster would cement honors for Counting Stars.

Immersive, the champion juvenile filly of 2024, scored a win over Regaled in the Fleur de Lis (G2) back in June, and does own a local win in the Alcibiades (G1) during her championship season. However, she hasn’t run a race fast enough to beat either Fully Subscribed or Counting Stars. Snowyte, meanwhile, was no match for Fully Subscribed in either the Shuvee or Personal Ensign.

The other stakes at Keeneland on Sunday are restricted to juveniles on the turf. The $400,000 Bourbon (G2) is contested over 1 1/16 miles, while the $350,000 Indian Summer (G3) will be run over 5 1/2 furlongs.

The Spinster is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge prep for the Distaff (G1), as is the Bourbon for the Juvenile Turf (G1). The Indian Summer is not part of the series, but is sure to yield potential starters for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1).