A Fine Chardonnay Rallies From Last to Win Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland

Brian Hernandez Jr. steered A Fine Chardonnay to the outside in deep stretch and simply held on as the filly did the rest. "I was more or less just a passenger today," Hernandez said after the 3-year-old rallied from last to first to win the Grade 2 MiddleGround Capital Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland, toppling 3-5 favorite Sneaky Good by three-quarters of a length and returning $6.82 on opening day.

The victory was a master class in pace exploitation. Wrong Shoes carved out punishing early fractions of :22.87 and :46.36 over a muddy, drying-out main track, setting a tempo that would test any frontrunner. Through the far turn, A Fine Chardonnay sat last in the field. Then Wrong Shoes, trying to hold on through the lane, tightened Sneaky Good's path in midstretch, effectively removing the favorite from the race at the decisive moment. The clear path opened, Hernandez let the Ian Wilkes trainee shift into gear, and the Maclean's Music filly split rivals in the final furlong to finish seven furlongs in 1:23.85.

The question worth carrying into future handicapping: pace collapse or genuine talent statement? Probably both. The tempo made frontrunners vulnerable, but A Fine Chardonnay's final-furlong punch was legitimate regardless of the setup. She's now two-for-two at Keeneland, having taken the listed Myrtlewood Stakes at the Lexington oval last fall, and has proven the ability to finish over a variety of track conditions. In a pace-honest 7-furlong sprint with closers in the field, she is the one to fear at this track.

Wilkes said he wanted to "knock the cobwebs off" with the Beaumont as a comeback effort, and that the filly "finished off the race" in a way that satisfied him despite some mid-stretch concern. He floated the May 1 Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs as a possible next target, a one-turn mile that would stretch A Fine Chardonnay out slightly while keeping Double 22 Stables in the 3-year-old filly stakes picture heading toward the Kentucky Oaks trail.

For Philip and Cole Griesinger, the father-and-son team behind Double 22 Stables, the Grade 2 represented something more than black-type on a breeding page. It was the ownership group's first graded stakes win, and they called it an emotional family moment at the finish. If the Eight Belles sets up as another pace-honest affair on May 1, it will not be the last time the Griesingers walk to a Churchill winner's circle this spring.