2023 Alcibiades Stakes Preview

Friday is opening day at Keeneland Race Course and the beginning of Fall Stars: an opening weekend full of stakes racing and Breeders’ Cup implications in many divisions. Juvenile fillies take the spotlight Friday, October 6 in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile dirt race that offers not only a $600,000 purse, but an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies for the winner, as well at 10-5-3-2-1 Road to the Kentucky Oaks points for the top five finishers. The race drew a field of nine two-year-olds to compete for those spoils.

The Alcibiades has been a strong prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in recent years, since the new dirt surface was installed. The 2022 winner, Wonder Wheel, went on to win at the Breeders’ Cup, which was also held at Keeneland that year. Other horses to sweep the pair include British Idiom (2019), Silverbulletday (1998), Countess Diana (1997), and Eliza (1992). In 2011, when Keeneland had Polytrack on the main course, Alcibiades winner Stephanie’s Kitten went on to win the Juvenile Fillies Turf, as well.

Alcibiades Stakes Information

• Race Date: Friday, October 6
• Track: Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky
• Post Time: 5:16 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 1/16 miles on the dirt
• Age/Sex: two-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: TVG.com, FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

2023 Alcibiades Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the nine horses entered in the Alcibiades, including their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Alcibiades Stakes Prep Race Results

The nine runners come out of eight different races. The only race with more than one last-out runner was the Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga. Brightwork, the winner, stretches out to two turns for the first time in her career. She will cross paths with Alys Beach, who ran a belated and ultimately well-beaten fourth. The only other runner coming out of graded company is V V’s Dream, who dominated the Pocahontas (G3) last out.

One other runner comes in out of ungraded stakes company. Wine On Tap was caught late in the Sorority at Monmouth, finishing second. The other horse to face winners last out was Crazy Cami: though she is the only maiden in the field, she finished second in a $250,000 allowance race at Kentucky Downs in her most recent start, her first try on the lawn.

The other four runners come into the Alcibiades out of maiden special weight race wins. Three of those came at Saratoga. Candied won her debut in a six-furlong dirt sprint on August 20, Emery won her debut on August 30 over the same course and distance, and Alpine Princess won at second asking on September 3, going seven furlongs. Shimmering Allure broke her maiden going a mile at Churchill Downs on September 20, her fourth career start.

2023 Alcibiades Stakes Contenders

These are the nine horses entered in the race, organized by post position:

1. Alys Beach: She graduated by a head, going six and a half furlongs at Saratoga, but went ignored on the tote at 40-1 when returning in the Spinaway and ran a well-beaten fourth that day. Her trainer, Tom Amoss, has had experience with top fillies before, like Serengeti Empress and Hoosier Philly, and he shines with first-time routers. On pedigree, this daughter of Omaha Beach has some upside at two turns: her second dam C J’s Leelee was multiple graded-stakes placed at two turns, and this is the family of C J‘s Awesome and Hidden Connection.
2. Crazy Cami: The only maiden in the field, she has shown improvement, but her best start yet came on the lawn. Her family can handle a dirt surface as well as turf, including middle-distance form, so the 1 1/16-mile trip should not be an issue. She has already shown she can pass horses, so she may be able to come on for a piece at a price if the pace gets hot, but a maiden win here may be an ambitious ask.
3. Candied: She chased, rallied, and got up by ¾ length to win her debut at Saratoga, and Luis Saez returns to the saddle for this graded stakes race. She has proven she can pass horses, and her debut came back fast enough to suggest that, if she can stretch out, she is fast enough to be one of the serious contenders. Pletcher shines first-time route, and there is enough to suggest that at least this middle distance is worth trying.
4. Wine On Tap: She stalked, pounced, and romped on debut at Belmont but has yet to find the winners’ circle again in two stakes-level starts since. In both of those stakes tries, she disappointed as the favorite. The good news from a betting perspective is she will not be the favorite here, and her tactical speed may get her just the right trip. She is bred top and bottom to be a two-turn filly, too. She will have to take a sharp step up from a speed perspective, but juveniles can do that, and the price just might be right.
5. V V’s Dream: She has tables to turn on Brightwork; despite being the odds-on favorite in the Debutante at Churchill, she was beaten half a length. However, Brightwork went on to frank that form at Saratoga, while V V’s Dream came back with an 8 ¾-length romp in the Pocahontas. Two turns is the question, as the Pocahontas is now contested as a one-turn mile. But, she has tactical speed, and she comes from a barn that always comes into the Alcibiades hot: five-time winning trainer Ken McPeek.
6. Alpine Princess: She was well beaten on debut at Saratoga after a less-than-good break, but stretched out to seven furlongs to score in a maiden race there on September 3. She was able to sit a lot more tactically and overcome swinging wide into the lane that day. She has two-turn breeding top and bottom, and trainer Brad Cox is a 29% winner with horses trying a route distance for the first time. In short, she has a lot of upside in a race where she’ll be a square price.
7. Brightwork: The likely favorite is perfect in four starts, and she is the only Grade 1 winner in the field. She is also a winner over the course already; she won a 4 ½-furlong baby race in her April 26 debut. Two turns is the question, as she has yet to try going longer than seven furlongs. Outwork’s progeny have been a bit more sprint-oriented than most Uncle Mo babies; underneath, it’s a mixed bag, but on the bright side, her dam is a half-sister to Catch the Moon, the dam of Girvin, MIdnight Bourbon, Cocked and Loaded, and Pirate’s Punch.
8. Emery: There may be rain the morning of the Alcibiades, which could be good news for this one. She has only raced once, but that debut was a romp in a muddy sprint at the Spa on August 30. She won that in tactical fashion, and drew well to work an outside stalking trip. She is trained by Brad Cox, a strong trainer of horses going a route for the first time. On pedigree, the More Than Ready on top is a positive, as is damsire Street Sense, though her female family is more sprint-oriented.
9. Shimmering Allure: It took her four starts to find the winners’ circle, but the stretch to a mile at Churchill Downs did the trick on September 20. That was a one-turn trip, so she tries two for the first time here. She will have to take a sharp step forward from a speed perspective, though two-year-olds can do that, and her trainer, Ken McPeek, has an excellent record in this race. A win still may be too much to ask, but if she looks good in the paddock or post parade, she could be an interesting exotics long shot.

2023 Alcibiades Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Alcibiades Stakes?

A: The race happens on Friday, October 6, at 5:16 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race is carded as the ninth of ten on the opening-day card at Keeneland Race Course.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Alcibiades Stakes?

A: D. Wayne Lukas leads all trainers with six victories in the Alcibiades between 1983 and 2003. Lukas is still actively training; he does not have an entrant in this year’s edition. Ken McPeek has two chances to tie Lukas’s record this year. He has won the race five times already, most recently in 2018 with Restless Rider. McPeek has entered both V V’s Dream and Shimmering Allure.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Alcibiades Stakes?

A: Perfect in four starts, including a pair of graded wins at Saratoga, Brightwork is the 9-5 favorite for the Alcibiades. Especially since she has a local win in a maiden special weight race in April, Brightwork should hold as the favorite. However, take note of betting action on 5-2 second choice V V’s Dream, who comes in from a facile 8 ¾-length victory in the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs.

Q: Who is the best Alcibiades Stakes jockey?

A: Jockeys Don Brumfield and Rafael Bejarano have both won the Alcibiades three times. Though Bejarano is still actively riding, he does not have a call in the Alcibiades this year. Jockey Julien Leparoux can tie that record if he boots Shimmering Allure home this year. He won in 2014 with Peace and War and in 2017 with Heavenly Love.

Q: Who won the Alcibiades Stakes in 2022?

A: Wonder Wheel won the 2022 Alcibiades for trainer Mark Casse and jockey Tyler Gaffalione; she would go on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as well. Casse does not have an entrant this year, though Gaffalione rides Emery for Brad Cox.

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