By Alan Carasso
Two weeks after saddling She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) to a victory in the GI QE II Challenge Cup–the premier race for 3-year-old fillies during the Keeneland Fall Meet–trainer Cherie DeVaux sent out Klein Racing's Brilliant Berti (Noble Mission {GB}), the 3-1 second betting selection, and 44-1 outsider Depiction (More Than Ready) to a one-two finish in Saturday's $600,000 GIII Bryan Station Stakes, the richest event on the calendar for the sophomore male set.
The duo caboosed the field through the early exchanges, Brilliant Berti leading Depiction, as My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) carved out slick early fractions of :22.49 and :44.95. The Canadian raider opened an imposing advantage approaching the stretch, but predictably began to weaken, setting things up for the swoopers. Having followed the move of favored Trikari (Oscar Performance) into the lane, Brilliant Berti was switched off heels, quickly descended on the leaders with about a furlong to travel and got home first as Depiction leveled off beautifully to miss by a head. The lightly raced Herchee (Twirling Candy) ran well to be third ahead of Evade (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in fourth.
“He's shown us all year long what a talented horse he is,” said winning rider Brian Hernandez, Jr., who will call the shots aboard 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in next weekend's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. “We're just proud of him, especially for the Klein family (owner/breeder Klein Racing), for them to keep breeding these good horses like they do. It's a proud moment for them. The only time I got nervous today was when we were in the Paddock and Richard (Klein) told me, 'We've won stakes at Keeneland before but I've never gotten to come out in the infield for a winner circle picture,' so I hoping like, 'Man, I hope we can get it done for him today.'”
A debut fifth over the sometimes-quirky Stall-Wilson turf course at the Fair Grounds in February, Brilliant Berti rattled off three straight at Churchill in the space of 58 days–a maiden-breaking success May 2, a June 7 allowance and the American Derby on June 29. Heavily favored when relegated to second by Trikari in the GII Secretariat Stakes at Colonial Aug. 13, he picked a good time to bounce back, taking the $1.5-million Gun Runner Stakes by a length over Herchee Sept. 8, with Depiction beaten 2 1/4 lengths into fifth.
DeVaux will be busy at the Breeders' Cup as well, where her leading chances include Vahva (Gun Runner) in the GI Filly & Mare Sprint and GI Coolmore Turf Mile runner-up More Than Looks (More Than Ready) in the GI Mile.
Pedigree Notes:
The Berti(e) horses are synonymous with various iterations of the Klein Family–and vice versa, really–and Bertram Klein purchased Brilliant Berti's fourth dam, Clever Bertie (Timeless Native), for $14,000 during the back books of the 1992 Keeneland September Sale. Though she failed to make the races, Clever Bertie–a half-sister to Grade I winner Traitor and to Grade II winner Sun King–nevertheless became a valuable asset, producing six winners from eight to race, including her first foal Hurricane Bertie (Storm Boot), a three-time graded and Grade I-placed winner of over $940,000; and later Brilliant Berti's third dam Allamerican Bertie.
Winner of the GII Delaware Oaks and a narrow second to Farda Amiga (Broad Brush) in the GI Alabama Stakes in 2002, she was a two-time graded winner the following season and retired with earnings just shy of $800,000. Her seven winners as a broodmare included her second produce, the stakes-winning Homerun Berti (Forestry).
Saint Bertie, the fourth foal out of Allamerican Bertie, was also unraced and bred just one horse to make the races, the Louisiana-bred Believe in Bertie, four times a winner at stakes level and twice placed in graded events at Churchill Downs.
The dam of the 2-year-old filly Hey Bertie (Kantharos), Believe in Bertie sold for $8,000 at last year's Keeneland November Sale while not in foal and was bred to Goldencents for her 2025 produce.
Brilliant Berti is the ninth graded winner for Noble Mission, who was sold to Japan in 2020 and who has six winners from his first crop of Japanese-breds this term.
Saturday, Keeneland
BRYAN STATION S.-GIII, $591,625, Keeneland, 10-26, 3yo, 1mT, 1:34.40, fm.
1–BRILLIANT BERTI, 118, c, 3, by Noble Mission (GB)
1st Dam: Believe in Bertie (MSW & MGSP, $413,482), by Langfuhr
2nd Dam: Saint Bertie, by Street Cry (Ire)
3rd Dam: Allamerican Bertie, by Quiet American
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Klein Racing (KY);
T-Cherie DeVaux; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. $344,100.
Lifetime Record: 7-5-1-0, $1,601,285. Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Depiction, 118, c, 3, More Than Ready–Trensita, by Curlin.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($80,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Twin
Brook Stables, Belladonna Racing, LLC, Nice Guys Stables,
West Point Thoroughbreds, Iapetus Racing, Hornstock, S.,
Runnels Racing, Perrine Time Thoroughbreds, R T R Stables,
LLC, Peppermint Stables, LLC and Manganaro Bloodstock;
B-Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux.
$111,000.
3–Herchee, 118, g, 3, Twirling Candy–Gone Theatrical, by
Theatrical (Ire). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-100% Racing
Stable LLC; B-100% Racing LLC (KY); T-Helen Pitts. $55,500.
Margins: NK, 1, 3/4. Odds: 3.09, 44.44, 6.77.
Also Ran: Evade (Fr), Lagynos, Trikari, Neat, Demolisher, My Boy Prince, Call Protection, Mansa Musa (Ire). Scratched: Goes the Clown, Protective, Reminder, Twirling Point.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
BRILLIANT BERTI ($8.18) held off the flying finish of stablemate Depiction in the $600,000 Bryan Station Stakes (G3) at @keenelandracing. @reredevaux trained the top 2 finishers. @b_hernandezjr was riding.
Bet the final race of the fall meet: https://t.co/v7SaAxA57R pic.twitter.com/sj9YsPNDoA
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 26, 2024
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