Summer Starlet looks to remain perfect in Alcibiades

Breeders’ Cup Challenge preps will be in abundance this weekend at Keeneland as the Lexington, Kentucky, track kicks off its fall racing session. A trio of preps are on tap for Friday’s opener, led by the $650,000 Alcibiades (G1) for two-year-old fillies.

A field of eight is signed on for the 1 1/16-mile lead-in to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), which will be held over the same track and distance Oct. 30. Summer Starlet figures to be a strong favorite in the Alcibiades, given her overwhelming success at Saratoga over the summer.

A daughter of City of Light, Summer Starlet was a surprise winner at first asking, beating maiden foes by 6 1/2 lengths at odds of 15-1. Summer Starlet returned for the Spinaway (G1) and was backed down to 8-5 favoritism, and she entirely justified the faith with an emphatic 4 3/4-length romp.

So far on a trajectory similar to that of Echo Zulu, Steve Asmussen’s juvenile filly champion of 2021, Summer Starlet might prove too tough to beat.

Also taking their chance are Emphatic, who has won both her starts by a combined margin of 12 lengths, including the Sorority S., and the Chad Brown-trained Forever Carina, who overcame a 13-length deficit to win on debut by two lengths at Saratoga.

In addition to the automatic Breeders’ Cup bid for the winner, 2027 Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points of 10-5-3-2-1 will go to the respective top five finishers in the Alcibiades.

The three-year-old Englishman looms as the horse to beat in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at the end of the month. His main older rival could be revealed in the $400,000 Phoenix (G2) over six furlongs.

Notables include Hymn, who cuts back a furlong after taking the Forego (G1) at Saratoga. Verifire has won five of seven, including a key edition of the Reigh Count S. at Colonial Downs on Aug. 1, while the seven-year-old Nakatomi will attempt to defend his Phoenix title after getting by a neck last season.

In between the Phoenix and Alcibiades is the $400,000 Jessamine (G2), a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) prep over 1 1/16 miles, which appears wide open. Twelve have been entered.