M B Sea, a 34-1 shot with veteran jockey Craig Perret aboard, upset heavily favored Tenpins to win the $163,800 Fayette Stakes (gr. III) Saturday as Keeneland's record-breaking fall meeting ended.
Kept within striking distance throughout by Perret, the 4-year-old son of Alphabet Soup collared Tenpins at the top of the stretch and gradually pulled away to a one-length win, his fifth in 28 career starts.
Tenpins, seeking a second consecutive victory in the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and upward, held on for second, 2 ½ lengths in front of Changeintheweather and Seattle Fitz, who finished in a deadheat for third.
M B Sea ran the distance in 1:50 1/5 on the fast track and earned $101,556 for Michael J. Bruder. It increased the winner's earnings to $359,038.
M B Sea paid $71.40, $13.40 and $4.20 and gave Perret his second straight win in the Fayette. Last year, he rode Tenpins to a 1 ¾-length win over X Country and Crafty Shaw.
"Things unfolded perfectly for my horse," said Perret. "Dale (trainer Dale Romans) told me he wanted to make just one run and to be sure to go with him because sometimes he likes to hang a little bit.
"When I got to the quarter pole, he didn't have a whole lot to do to get past him (Tenpins) and I just tried to keep his mind on it. He was the best horse today."
It was only the second win of the meeting for Romans.
"It has been a tough meet for us and it seems like every time we get in a slump, Craig Perret pulls us out," said Romans. "He'd (M B Sea) been running good all year. He's just been a notch below the best horse. We felt he deserved another chance against the top horses.
"Mike's (owner Michael Bruder) always had confidence in him and we gave him one more chance and it paid off."
Tenpins, who brought nine wins and earnings of more than $1 million into the Fayette, returned $3 and $2.40. Changeintheweather paid $2.60, as did Seattle Fitz.
Sonic West, Country Be Gold and Quest completed the seven-horse field.
(Chart, Equibase)