Ben Ali Stakes 2024 | Keeneland Picks

Spendthrift Farm’s Kingsbarns, winner of the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds last year, heads a field of nine entered for next Saturday’s 93rd running of the $300,000 Ben Ali (G3) for 4-year-olds and up going 1 3/16 miles on the Keeneland main track.

The Ben Ali will go as the ninth race on Saturday’s program with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time.

Trained by two-time Ben Ali winner Todd Pletcher, Kingsbarns returned to the races March 2 after an 8½-month layoff to win a 7-furlong sprint at Gulfstream Park.

Luis Saez has the mount from post 4.

Pletcher also will send out Dynamic One for the partnership of Repole Stable, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable.

Dynamic One captured the Suburban (G2) at Belmont Park in 2022, the same year he was second in the Ben Ali.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 7.

Aiming for a repeat in the Ben Ali is Lucky Seven Stable, which won the race last year with Rattle N Roll.

This year, the stable will be represented by Smile Happy, a two-time Grade 2 winner.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, who has won the Ben Ali three times including with Rattle N Roll, Smile Happy will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. from post 3.

The field for the Ben Ali at Keeneland is: