Betting With, and Against, Bracket Buster in the Fayette S.

A deep field of 11 will travel 1 1/8 miles on the Keeneland main strip in Saturday’s $350,000 Fayette S. (G3). Rising sophomore #3 Bracket Buster (3-1) is the morning-line choice for conditioner Victoria Oliver. By excellent second-crop sire Vekoma, the $125,000 yearling purchase broke his maiden on the course as a juvenile and has improved steadily since that effort. 

Bracket Buster – With

• $2 superfecta key 3 with 6,9,10,11 ($48)

Bracket Buster – Against

• 50-cent trifecta 6,10 with 3,6,9,10,11 with all ($36)
• 50-cent trifecta box 6,9,10,11 ($12)

The Kentucky-bred sophomore was a good second in the Lexington S. (G3) at this venue to commence 2025 and has upped his game in each start since. Second in the Travers S. (G1) behind Sovereignty two back, Bracket Buster made easy work of a solid field in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) most recently and has posted two works in the interim, led by a swift half-mile move here last weekend. John Velazquez picks up the mount and will ask the favorite for run out of the gate. 

Luis Saez opts to stay aboard Preakness S. (G1) and Haskell S. (G1) runner-up #10 Gosger (9-2), who is the other three-year-old in the group. Trained by the red-hot Brendan Walsh, the gray son of Nyquist toppled the favorite in the Lexington in the spring, and he has held up well while facing some of the better sophomores in training, too. I’m willing to give the homebred a pass for his subpar showing in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) last time out and expect him to be prominent as the cast turns for home on Saturday. 

Kenny McPeek’s #6 Rattle N Roll (12-1) is a Grade 1 winner on the strip and has run with some of the best horses across the globe in his lifetime. The Connect six-year-old is not overly consistent, but he owns four wins at the trip and two on the oval, and the chestnut also drilled a bullet five-eighths in preparation for this outing. 

Multiple Grade 3 victor #9 Dragoon Guard (7-2) dominated allowance runners at Churchill most recently and also broke his maiden at Keeneland last campaign in his lone local appearance. Brad Cox pupil will force the pace from the opening bell. 

Dubai World Cup (G1) victor #11 Hit Show (6-1), also from the Cox shedrow, is the defending champ in the contest and wouldn’t be a surprise despite drawing widest of all with Irad in the silks.