BEN Colebrook dreamed about days like Saturday at Keeneland. He competed in Grade 1 stakes several times in his six-plus years as a trainer.

Most of those tries came with the multiple graded stakes-winning gelding Limousine Liberal, whose only misfortune came running career-best efforts in losing causes at the top level.

Trainer Ignacio Correas IV held similar dreams. The fortunes of both men, stabled for all or nearly all of the year in Lexington, changed during Keeneland’s FallStars Weekend. It felt more like a midsummer festival than a autumn slate of key Breeders’ Cup prep races thanks to balmy temperatures in the Bluegrass.

Colebrook earned his first Grade 1 in surprising style, sending out the Maryland-bred, Korean-owned Knicks Go to victory in the $500,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity.

Dismissed as the longest price in the field of 13 two-year-olds at 70/1, Knicks Go led from the start under Albin Jimenez and romped by five and a half lengths. The victory locked up a spot in next month’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.

EMOTIONAL

Colebrook couldn’t hide his emotions after the Paynter colt’s victory, his second from four starts. He choked up first when interviewed on the track by Nick Luck of the NBC Sports Network immediately after the race and again walking to the Director’s Room with a group of reporters after the winner’s presentations on the turf course.

“That’s pretty special,” Colebrook said. “I didn’t really expect it today. I thought the horse would run good but he exceeded all our expectations for sure.”

Knicks Go paid the biggest mutual of the day and wound up as one of four upset winners of the five stakes, along with Next Shares ($48.80) in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile, Golden Mischief ($11) in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America and A Raving Beauty ($8.40) in the Grade 1 First Lady. Bucchero saved the day for chalkplayers, winning a second straight Grade 2 Woodford as the 3/1 favorite.

Knicks Go’s price didn’t matter much to Colebrook, who took out his licence in 2012 and won three races in his first full season as a trainer in 2013.

“I’m not a better; I put my time and effort up,” Colebrook said in the tunnel. “A lot of people discounted him, it was a tough kind of field, the favorite (Hopeful winner Mind Control) scratching probably changed things a little bit and there were a lot of good horses in there. We got a beautiful trip. Albin stole the race, just a beautiful ride.”

Colebrook trains Knicks Go for the Korean Racing Association Stud Farm, which also owns recent Grade 1 Vosburgh runner-up Mr. Crow. The KRA purchased the colt for $87,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale.

“We’re privileged to have a horse like that,” Colebrook added.