Ways and Means seeks to bow out with the elusive Breeders' Cup victory missing from her record

The daughter of Practical Joke, one of North America's top sprinters, will aim to capture the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1)before passing through the auction ring at Fasig-Tipton. Chad Brown adjusted her routine in an effort to translate the extraordinary form she displays at Saratoga to Keeneland

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).— Ways and Means has one last piece of unfinished business before closing out her racing career. The extraordinary sprinter owned by Klaravich Stables, who for several seasons ranked among North America's top specialists, will seek victory this Saturday at Keeneland in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1)—a race that eluded her in 2024 and from which she was absent last year due to health issues.

It will be a special farewell for the daughter of Practical Joke, trained by Chad Brown, as on the Monday following the race she will be offered at the prestigious Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

With over $1,600,000 in earnings, Ways and Means boasts a record of 13 starts with 7 wins, 3 seconds, and a third.Among her victories are two G1 triumphs and, in particular, a remarkable affinity for Saratoga, where she won six of her seven appearances.

Her latest outing was an absolute display of superiority: she scored by 5 1/2 lengths in the Ballerina Stakes (G1),confirming that her ability to compete at the highest level remains fully intact.

However, translating that performance to Keeneland will be the main challenge: “Hopefully she likes the track. It's new to her, but that also means she has no negative experiences here. She is training exceptionally well and comes into it off very fast breezes,” explained Brown.

The trainer decided to modify several aspects of Ways and Means' preparation with the goal of arriving at the Breeders' Cup in peak condition.

Instead of shipping her early to Kentucky, he opted to keep her at Saratoga until the days leading up to the race.

There, she completed her preparation on the Oklahoma training track, where she drilled 800 meters in :47.50, the second-fastest time among 34 works at the distance.

“This year I tried something different and kept her at Saratoga practically right up to the race,” Brown explained.

The decision stems from an observation the trainer has consolidated over recent seasons.

“We know she loves Saratoga and that her results there are extraordinary, but I also think part of that performance is because she trains at Saratoga,” he noted.

Brown recalled that the filly produced an excellent performance at Aqueduct when she won the Gallant Bloom Stakes (G2) after shipping in just three days prior.

“The more I think about it, the more I believe she thrives training on the Oklahoma track and being in the Saratogaenvironment. I hope she can carry that condition to Keeneland,” he added.

The strategy has a clear objective: to ensure Ways and Means arrives at her final race with the same energy and dominance she displayed in the Ballerina.

A Revenge Two Years in the Making

The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint has been one of Ways and Means' main targets for much of her campaign.In 2024, she started as the 2-to-1 favorite but failed to live up to expectations. In 2025, she was unable to compete after suffering a setback that disrupted her preparation.

Now she will have a third opportunity, though it will mark only her second actual start in the event.

Her experience in Kentucky includes two performances in the Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs,where she finished third and second in the last two editions.

Those results prove she can perform outside of Saratoga, though they also explain why Brown considers it so vital to fine-tune her preparatory details.

For the trainer, the challenge also carries special appeal.

Brown holds 19 Breeders' Cup victories and has won the Filly & Mare Sprint three times: with Wavell Avenue(Harlington) in 2015, and with Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) in 2022 and 2023.

Two of those victories came precisely at Keeneland, host venue for the 2015 and 2022 editions.

A new victory would give him a fourth triumph in the event and the 20th of his career in the championship series.

For Seth Klarman, owner of Klaravich Stables, the race offers the opportunity to achieve a goal that has so far eluded him: winning a Breeders' Cup race on the dirt.

His colors have already celebrated in the series with Newspaperofrecord (Lope de Vega), winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in 2018, and with Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway), winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) in 2019, the latter in co-ownership.

Ways and Means could add a new chapter to that history before embarking on the next stage of her life.

Her presentation at the Fasig-Tipton sale, just two days after the Filly & Mare Sprint, turns Saturday's race into a showcase of paramount importance for her future as a broodmare.

But before thinking about the sales ring, Brown wants to focus on the competition itself. Ways and Means arrives off a commanding victory in her last start, a meticulously planned preparation, and the opportunity to capture the one major goal still missing from her resume.

After dominating so many times at Saratoga, the daughter of Practical Joke will try to prove she can also bow out as a champion at Keeneland.