Connected Catches Broken Vow in Fayette

Helen Alexander's homebred Connected, next-to-last after the opening half-mile, rallied through the stretch Saturday to catch 4-5 favorite Broken Vow in Keeneland's $166,950 Fayette Stakes. Under Marlon St. Julien, Connected completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.05 on a fast track.

"We had a real easy trip," said St. Julien. "I just followed instructions. He's the kind of horse that lets you know early in the race if he's going to show up. He was really into the race today and gave me a tremendous run down the lane."

Outofthebox weaved around fading pacesetter Concerned Minister in the stretch to finish third after a troubled trip. First Lieutenant, Chicago Six, Concerned Minister, Maysville Slew, Jadada, and Just Ruler completed the order of finish.

Sent off at odds of 10-1, Connected returned $22, $6.20, and $3.40 and led an exacta worth $51. Broken Vow paid $2.60 and $2.10, with Outofthebox worth $2.80 to show.

The win marks the second straight for the David Carroll-trained 4-year-old gelding. Earlier this month at Keeneland, Connected rallied under Larry Melancon to win the $80,000 Warfield on a sloppy track. The win is his eighth in 21 starts and first in a graded stakes. Connected (Twining -- Auto Dial, by Phone Trick) earned $103,509 for the victory. (Chart, Equibase)