The City of Hope Mile on Sept. 28 at Santa Anita served as an inflection point for the 3-year-old turf miler Trikari. Win or come close and it would be on to the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Trikari didn’t run poorly, finishing fourth while facing older rivals for the first time, beaten 1 1/2 lengths by California kingpin Johannes. But instead of a return trip to California, Trikari starts Saturday at Keeneland, facing fellow 3-year-olds in the Bryan Station Stakes. An easier race than the Breeders’ Cup Mile? Sure. A slam dunk for Trikari? Not so much. The one-mile Bryan Station offers a rich purse of $600,000 and attracted a field matching the money. Fifteen were entered, 12 can run, and at least one also-eligible can draw in since Twirling Point is expected to start this weekend in California. Trikari rates as the Bryan Station’s most likely winner and merits defined favoritism, but he drew post 11, a difficult spot under any circumstances, perhaps especially so for Trikari. Since 2020, horses breaking from post 11 in Keeneland turf miles have gone 1 for 61. Post 12 is 0 for 46. Trikari likes to press the pace or stalk, and Manny Franco, riding the colt for the first time, will face difficult choices before the first turn. :: Play Keeneland with the most trusted information in horse racing! All Access Past Performances, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. In the City of Hope, Trikari raced mid-pack and followed Johannes’s move coming off the far turn and into the homestretch. He quickened well enough but lost steam the final 50 yards, passed late by Almendares while unable to overtake pacesetting Conclude. The showing still yielded a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure, building upon the 96 Trikari earned winning the Secretariat at Colonial Downs in his previous start. Since the City of Hope, trainer Graham Motion has worked the colt once at his Fair Hill Training Center base in Maryland, an easy half-mile on dirt. “No excuses – he got beat by the best miler in the country,” said Motion. “I worried that was a lot for him to do, but he’s come out of it great.” Brilliant Berti could not reel in Trikari in the Secretariat but came back to win the $1.5 million Gun Runner at Kentucky Downs by one length, his fourth win from five starts since a debut defeat over the winter at Fair Grounds. Brilliant Berti traveled beautifully around the sweeping Kentucky Downs far turn, launching a final attack on the far outside under regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. “He kicked clear pretty easily,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux. “He doesn’t show any signs of regression. He looks great and he’s trained well out of the race. But this is an open race. He’s going to have to run one of his best races.” Three others exit the Gun Runner, including a second DeVaux entrant, Depiction, who ran a faster final quarter-mile than Brilliant Berti, finishing a close, closing fifth under Irad Ortiz Jr. Ortiz rides Saturday in New York, so Florent Geroux picks up the mount. “Irad was frustrated because he couldn’t get out when he wanted to make his run. He’s been training like a horse that’s improving as he gets older,” said DeVaux. Neat, who overcame a very challenging trip to win the Transylvania at Keeneland in April, turned in the Gun Runner’s fastest final quarter-mile, 24.13, while finishing third, but second-place Herchee might be the horse to take out of that race. Making just his third start after winning his first two, Herchee raced just behind the speed, the only horse close to a fast pace to close with much energy, and while Brilliant Berti surged toward the lead in upper stretch, a wall of horses blocked Herchee’s path. “I wish we could’ve gotten through when we wanted to, but once he did, he came running and tried his heart out,” said trainer Helen Pitts. “He likes to sit close but he’s not too aggressive. This is a tough spot, but I think he’ll like Keeneland.” :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Herchee’s form shows he was gelded in September, but Pitts said the horse was gelded before he ever started. Mansa Musa brings contending speed figures and good form while stretching out to a two-turn distance he’s not bred to like. His sire, Ten Sovereigns, was a sprinter, as were his dam and second dam. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.