The 7-year-old gelding by Grand Slam took the lead at the start of the 1 1/8-mile race and never relinquished it while cruising to a 1 ¼-length victory under jockey Julio Garcia. He ran the distance in 1:48.37.

“It was my idea to go right to the front,” said Garcia.  “I know the horse goes better when he’s in front.  On the backside, I was very relaxed.  I hit him only one time at the eighth pole.  He’s a good horse.”

Dominican, the upset winner of the 2007 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1), closed strong to finish second, 1 ¼ lengths in front of third-place Stream Cat.  Mambo in Seattle, runner-up in the Travers Stakes (G1) and the 6-5 favorite, never threatened and finished seventh in the 11-horse field.

Dr. Pleasure, who pressed the leader to the top of the stretch, clipped heels with Secret Getaway and fell at the three-sixteenth pole, throwing jockey Otto Thorwarth to the track.

Thorwarth was moved from the track on a stretcher.  Medical personnel reported that he was awake, alert and stable before sending him to the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

Dr. Pleasure apparently did not suffer serious injury and walked off the track.

Ball Four had made only one start—an eighth-place finish in the Marfa Stakes on September 13 at Turfway Park—in more than a year prior to the Fayette.

“He’s a very tough horse,” said trainer Derek Galvin.  “We tried to enter him in two different races at the start of the meet.  The races didn’t go, so we just worked him another few times and he came into the race fresh.  He’s never been doing so good.”

Owned by Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Ball Four won for the sixth time in 22 career starts and increased his earnings to $609,520 with the winner’s purse of $93,000.  The victory also earned owner Michael Tabor a gold serving tray for his eighth graded stakes win at Keeneland.

Ball Four, a 21-1 outsider trained by Derek Galvin, paid $44.40, $20.20 and $12.40.  Dominican returned $8.80 and $5.20 and Stream Cat paid $3.60 to show.