The Bourbon – Grade II [BC] will be contested at Keeneland on Sunday, October 4, 2026, with 10 two-year-olds scheduled to travel 1 1/16 miles on turf for a purse of $400.000. The event has been a Grade II since 2020, and recent winners include Mahogany Storm, Keenness(1), Munich(3), Lights Camera Action, Darrow(2) and 2025 winner Fight Clubber. Mb Stables, which won the 2024 running with Darrow(2), returns with a formidable three-horse contingent of Luminary, The Schema and Showman. Historically, jockey Bejarano R has four Bourbon victories, while the current field includes no jockey seeking an immediate repeat from the 2025 running.

The Field

1. Campania — Threshold — Alvarado F T

Projected Odds: 6-1

Campania enters with three starts and already owns experience against Grade I turf company. His latest appearance came in the Summer-G1 at Woodbine, where he raced second, third and third through the first three calls before finishing fifth at one mile. Before that he finished third in a 5 1/2-furlong turf stakes at Ellis Park, while his lone victory came on sloppy dirt at Belterra Park. His past performances show two turf starts with a third but no victory, and his only prior route attempt came in the Summer. Campania has demonstrated that he can race prominently against high-level turf juveniles, but today’s additional sixteenth of a mile is another test. He has a solid chance to win if he can carry his tactical position through the longer distance.

2. Mexican Dawn — Rock Creek — Ortiz J L

Projected Odds: 10-1

Mexican Dawn has four starts with one victory and a third, and his improvement coincided with moving to turf. He broke his maiden at seven furlongs on firm turf at Fort Erie, advancing from fifth to third before taking the lead and winning by three-quarters. He then stepped directly into the With Anticipation-G3 at 1 1/16 miles, where he remained seventh through the first three calls before improving to fourth. That gives him something several runners lack: actual graded-stakes experience over today’s exact distance and surface combination. A September 18 one-mile turf work provides additional route preparation. Mexican Dawn has a credible upset chance, although he needs to move forward from his With Anticipation performance.

3. Luminary — Mb Stables — Santana R Jr

Projected Odds: 12-1

Luminary is the first of three Mb Stables entrants and makes a significant transition. All five of his races have come on dirt, and he has never raced on turf or in a route. His lone victory came in a 4 1/2-furlong Churchill Downs maiden, and he subsequently finished third in a six-furlong stakes before encountering Grade II and Grade I competition at Saratoga. Most recently he finished fifth in the seven-furlong Hopeful-G1 after racing fifth, fifth and sixth through the calls. Mb Stables has won this race before, including with Darrow(2) in 2024, but Luminary himself must answer two major questions simultaneously: turf and 1 1/16 miles. He has an outside chance to win, with his class exposure offset by the untested conditions.

4. Trigger Happy Jack — South Shore Stables — Velazquez J R

Projected Odds: 4-1

Trigger Happy Jack is unbeaten in two starts and already owns a victory over today’s 1 1/16-mile turf distance. After winning his debut at 4 1/2 furlongs on dirt, he returned September 26 in a Belmont allowance over yielding turf. He raced fourth through the opening two calls, advanced to second and then won by three-quarters. That was both his turf debut and his route debut, and he passed both tests while showing the ability to settle behind horses before moving forward. The principal issue is the class jump from allowance company directly into a Grade II, compounded by a relatively quick turnaround from September 26 to October 4. Nevertheless, his perfect record and proven distance make Trigger Happy Jack a major winning contender.

5. Zee Command — TwinTowersRacing — Bridgmohan S X

Projected Odds: 5-1

Zee Command has the most directly applicable body of turf form among the more experienced entrants. He broke his maiden over one mile on firm Del Mar turf after racing second through the first three calls, then moved into the $750.000 KD Juvenile at one mile and finished fifth after sitting third, fourth and third. His past performances show one win from two turf starts and one victory from two route races. Today’s 1 1/16 miles asks him to stretch slightly beyond his two one-mile turf attempts, but his established tactical speed should place him in the race from the beginning. Zee Command has a strong chance to win and is one of the more reliable contenders based on proven turf form.

6. Smokin Southern Bell — Serenity Stables — Espinoza V

Projected Odds: 25-1

Smokin Southern Bell has made only one career start, finishing sixth in a 7 1/2-furlong turf maiden at Lone Star. He began second, dropped to fourth and fifth and finished 10 lengths behind the winner. He has since recorded several turf works, including a one-mile move at Parx and six- and five-furlong works at Belmont, so there has been preparation for additional distance. Even so, he enters the Bourbon still a maiden and now faces Grade II competition while stretching to 1 1/16 miles. Smokin Southern Bell has a longshot chance, requiring substantial improvement from his lone race.

7. Sexy Snoop — Serenity Stables — Elliott S

Projected Odds: 20-1

Sexy Snoop brings four dirt starts into his turf debut. He won his two-furlong debut at Tampa but has gone winless in three subsequent races. Most recently he tried one mile in the Iroquois-G3, leading through the first two calls, sitting second at the third and then falling to ninth. That race supplies route-related evidence but also raises a stamina question as he now stretches another sixteenth while changing surfaces. His September 27 one-mile turf work at Churchill Downs was the fastest of eight listed at that distance that day, providing at least a positive preparation signal for the surface switch. Sexy Snoop has an outside chance to win, but must prove both turf suitability and the ability to sustain his run over 1 1/16 miles.

8. The Schema — Mb Stables — Lopez P

Projected Odds: 20-1

The Schema remains a maiden after two dirt starts. His latest was a clear improvement at Saratoga, where he raced second through each of the first three calls before finishing third at seven furlongs. He has never raced on turf and has never attempted a route, although Mb Stables has prepared him with two recent turf works at Belmont, including a one-mile move on firm ground September 22. His positional speed could put him into the early portion of the Bourbon, but he is being asked to make a substantial class, surface and distance transition while still seeking his first victory. The Schema has an outside chance to win, with considerable improvement necessary.

9. Showman — Mb Stables — Spencer J P

Projected Odds: 3-1

Showman gets the narrow preference after demonstrating both stakes-level ability and an effective transition to turf. He owns two victories and two seconds from six starts. After winning on dirt at Aqueduct and Lone Star, he finished second in a Woodbine stakes before making his route and graded turf debut in the OTJ Turf-G3 at Del Mar on September 5. Showman raced second through the first two calls, took command at the third and finished second by a quarter-length at one mile. His two turf starts have produced a second, and that latest effort supplies the strongest combination of recent graded turf form and tactical positioning in this field. Recent turf works at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita add preparation for the extra sixteenth. Showman has a strong chance to win and is the projected winner.

10. Bold Imagination — Noblepark — Pennington F

Projected Odds: 8-1

Bold Imagination has raced three times and enters with something especially valuable in this field: a victory at exactly 1 1/16 miles on firm turf. At Belterra Park on August 7, he raced fourth through the first two calls, advanced to third and then won by a length. He had previously finished fourth in a five-furlong turf maiden after beginning his career on dirt. His record therefore shows one victory from two turf starts and one victory from his only route attempt. The question is class rather than surface or distance, as his route victory came in maiden company and he now jumps directly into a Grade II. Bold Imagination nevertheless has a meaningful chance to win because the fundamental distance-and-surface question has already been answered successfully.

Pace Structure & Race Outlook

There is enough early and tactical speed to make positioning important. Sexy Snoop led through the opening two calls of the Iroquois, while The Schema raced second through all three calls in his latest start. Campania has also shown the ability to race close to the front against Grade I turf company, and Zee Command was second through all three calls when breaking his maiden on turf.

Showman may get one of the more favorable setups. He does not need the lead immediately: in his latest graded turf race he sat second before taking over at the third call. Trigger Happy Jack offers similar flexibility, having raced fourth before advancing to second and then first in his successful 1 1/16-mile turf debut. Bold Imagination won from fourth and then third at today’s distance, giving him another stalking profile.

That makes the Bourbon less dependent on a single front-runner than on which juvenile handles the transition into the final portion of 1 1/16 miles. Showman, Trigger Happy Jack and Bold Imagination have all demonstrated that they can advance after settling behind horses, while Zee Command has the established tactical speed to remain involved throughout.

The narrow preference is Showman. His second in the OTJ Turf-G3 gives him proven graded turf form, and he reached the lead during that one-mile race before finishing only a quarter-length behind the winner. The additional sixteenth remains something he must prove, but his combination of current form, turf evidence and graded experience is the most persuasive overall profile.

Trigger Happy Jack is the principal danger because he is already 2-for-2 and has won at the exact distance on turf. Zee Command brings the deepest established one-mile turf experience among the leading contenders, while Bold Imagination is particularly interesting because he has already won at 1 1/16 miles on firm turf.

Projected Order

1. Showman — 3-1
2. Trigger Happy Jack — 4-1
3. Zee Command — 5-1
4. Bold Imagination — 8-1

Projected Winner: Showman — 3-1

Main Danger: Trigger Happy Jack — 4-1

Best Value: Bold Imagination — 8-1

Live Longshot: Mexican Dawn — 10-1

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES