Balance the Books picked up his second consecutive graded stakes victory when he rallied from last to win the $150,000 Bourbon Stakes (gr. III) at Keeneland by a nose.
Under a patient ride from Julien Leparoux, Balance the Books hopped just a bit at the start and was away last, content to trail the field by about ten lengths as Road Agent led the way through fractions of :23.13 and :47.57. Really Sharp was racing in second, followed by Strike the Note, Ruler of Love, and Slamarama. Summit County, Roman's Avenue, and Sonofasamurai were next in line, while Fredericksburg, Brown Almighty, Army Hero, and Balance the Books trailed the field.
Road Agent continued to show the way through three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.40, but turning for home he began to tire, allowing Really Sharp to take command of the lead. But passing the eighth pole, Really Sharp drifted out badly, impeding Strike the Note, Summit County, and Sonofasamurai. However, one colt that was not seriously impeded was Balance the Books, who managed to rally far enough outside to avoid the traffic and get up for a narrow victory over Really Sharp, stopping the clock for 1 1/16th miles on turf in 1:45.15.
Really Sharp finished 1 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Brown Almighty, but was disqualified and placed sixth for interfering with Strike the Note. Thus, the official order of finish was Balance the Books, Brown Almighty, Sonofasamurai, Summit County, Strike the Note, Really Sharp, Fredericksburg, Roman's Avenue, Ruler of Love, Slamarama, Army Hero, and Road Agent.
The winner, a son of Lemon Drop Kid out of the Seeking the Gold mare Kreisleriana, is trained by Chad Brown and owned by Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence. He had previously won the With Anticipation Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga over Joha, who came back to win the Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) here at Keeneland on Saturday.
-Keelerman
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