By Alan Carasso
Sunday's GIII Dixiana Bourbon S., which offers the winner an expenses-paid trip to Santa Anita for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 5, is arguably the best and most open wagering affair on FallStars weekend, with a legitimate case to be made for at least half the field.
In the 2015 Bourbon, trainer Mark Casse and jockey Julien Leparoux teamed up with the outposted Airoforce (Colonel John) for a 2 1/2-length victory, an effort used as a springboard to a near-miss defeat at the hands of Hit It a Bomb (War Front) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Those victorious connections are represented Sunday by JSM Equine's Ancient Warfare (Quality Road), whose form looks slightly dirtier than did Airoforce's, a fact that could lead to an inflated price in the Bourbon. The $100,000 Keeneland September and $250,000 OBS April acquisition sat an inside trip and drew off to annex his 5 1/2-furlong debut over the Saratoga turf July 30, but he never truly reached contention as the even-money favorite last time in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile, finishing sixth to the pace-pressing, 44-1 outsider All Right (Dominus), with Hot Dad (Sidney's Candy) third. If willing to forgive that non-effort, he gets another shot here over a flatter course and could make amends at a handsome mutuel.
'TDN Rising Star' Ticonderoga (Tapit) will try to give the all-conquering Chad Brown a second win in this event since 2012. A green second to subsequent GII Summer S. winner Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday) going two turns over the Saratoga turf course Aug. 13, the son of the talented turf galloper Keertana (Johar) added blinkers for a Sept. 10 Belmont maiden and swooshed home for a 4 1/4-length graduation. Ticonderoga brought a final bid of $850,000 from Woodford Racing at the Keeneland September sale a little more than a year ago.
Keep Quiet (Fr) (Elusive City) was unplaced in his first two career tries, but has improved markedly with a stretch out to two turns. With Florent Geroux taking over at the controls for the first time, the €37,000 Arqana December yearling purchase was wide on both turns of the GII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga Aug. 31 and ran on nicely to be second, beaten two lengths by Made You Look (More Than Ready) while covering 42 extra feet (about four lengths) more than the winner.
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