COX STARTS PAIR IN ALCIBIADES,

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Brad Cox has road-tripped up and down Interstate 64 more times than he can remember when commuting from his hometown of Louisville to Keeneland.

“It’s one of my favorite racetracks, without a doubt,” Cox said.

Keeneland can further endear itself to Cox on Friday by giving him a starter for the Nov. 3-4 Breeders’ Cup. Cox will saddle a pair of contenders, Kelly’s Humor and Sassy Siena, for the 66th running of the Grade 1 Alcibiades, the opening-day highlight of the fall meet.

“They’re both training great, and I do like them both a lot,” said Cox, who lost a prime Breeders’ Cup contender last month when Green Mask suffered a career-ending injury and was declared from the BC Turf Sprint.

Ten 2-year-old fillies will be vying for the Win and You’re In berth tied to the $400,000 Alcibiades, which goes as the ninth of 10 races. Besides the uncoupled Cox duo, other major players in a well-matched renewal include Pacific Gale, Bet She Wins, Heavenly Love, and Princess Warrior.

Cox, who tied with Kenny McPeek for leading trainer at the September meet at Churchill Downs, believes the 1 1/16-mile distance of the Alcibiades will benefit both of his fillies. Kelly’s Humor (post 7, Javier Castellano) launched strong rallies in winning the Aug. 20 Ellis Park Debutante and finishing second in the Sept. 16 Pocahontas, while Sassy Sienna (post 10, Luis Saez) already has a pair of two-turn races under her belt, both on turf.

“I’m excited to move [Sassy Sienna] over to dirt,” Cox said. “She trains really well over it, and plus, I think she’ll do better with blinkers. Hopefully, one of these fillies will help us get off to a fast start at the meet.”

Neither of his fillies has yet earned a Beyer Speed Figure higher than 64, but Cox believes there is room for vast improvement in that department, particularly at this distance.

“This is a great opportunity for them,” he said.

Pacific Gale (post 2, Chris DeCarlo) arrived here Tuesday from New York for trainer John Kimmel after winning the Sept. 2 Sorority at Monmouth Park by 3 1/4 lengths in her last start. This will be the first attempt beyond six furlongs for the daughter of Flat Out.

Bet She Wins (post 6, Jose Valdivia Jr.) was 13-1 and still a maiden before earning this field’s best Beyer, a 90, in winning the Sept. 9 ArlingtonWashington Lassie by 9 1/2 lengths. But that race came over Polytrack, and the gray filly must prove the big Beyer was no fluke under far different circumstances here.

Heavenly Love (post 9, Julien Leparoux) and Princess Warrior (post 1, Brian Hernandez Jr.) both were sharp last-out maiden winners at six furlongs, earning Beyers of 78 and 86. Both make their two-turn debuts here.

The rest of the Alcibiades field is Caroline the Great (post 3, Robby Albarado), Arabella Bella (post 4, Shaun Bridgmohan), Over Thinking (post 5, Jon Court), and Dancing (post 8, Manny Franco).

Races at 1 1/16 miles over the Keeneland dirt begin and end at what is otherwise the sixteenth pole.

The Alcibiades is named for the great racehorse and broodmare of the 1930s and ’40s. The most recent Alcibiades winner to capture a Breeders’ Cup race was Stephanie’s Kitten, who won the 2011 BC Juvenile Fillies Turf after winning on the old Polytrack surface. The last Alcibiades winners over dirt to capture the BC Juvenile Fillies were Countess Diana and Silverbulletday (1997-98). The 2016 Alcibiades winner was Dancing Rags, trained by Graham Motion.

First post Friday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. The Grade 2 Phoenix (race 8, 4:57) directly precedes the Alcibiades (5:30) as the leadoff FallStars Weekend event, with both races being key links in a pick four wager (races 7-10) offering a pool guarantee of $200,000.

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY Kelly’s Humor, shown winning the Ellis Park Debutante, later was second in the Pocahontas.