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Weekend runs rings around Kilroe Mile
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| Ring Weekend took a detour from Gulfstream Park to score a first Grade 1 win for himself...
(Benoit Photo) |
Scratched from the February 21 Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream Park after
drawing an unfavorable outside post, Ring Weekend (Tapit) was rerouted to
Saturday's $401,500
Frank E.
Kilroe Mile (G1) at Santa Anita, and the change in plan proved inspired.
Owned by St. Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds, the Graham Motion
trainee exploded from well off a contentious pace to earn his first top-level
victory. It also marked a first Grade 1 tally for Drayden Van Dyke, the Eclipse Award-winning
apprentice rider of 2014.In the opening stages, Holy Lute (Midnight Lute) sped to the front, hounded
by Dimension (Medicean) and the blinkers-back-on Mr. Commons (Artie Schiller)
through fractions of :22 2/5, :45 2/5 and 1:09 on the firm turf. Holy Lute held
sway entering the stretch, but the closers were fanning out in pursuit.
Summer Front (War Front), the 2-1 favorite, burst through in midstretch, and
the elusive Grade 1 appeared to be within his grasp. Then Ring Weekend erupted
wider out and blew by him to win going away by a length in 1:32 4/5. Off at a
generous 7-1 in his 2015 debut, the chestnut gelding returned $17.40.
"He ran great," assistant trainer Alice Clapham noted. "Drayden gave him a
great ride and settled him nicely. It couldn't have worked out better. He's
grown up from last year. I hadn't seen him since then. He's grown up a lot
mentally and physically. Hopefully, we'll have a good, fun year with him." |
"It feels amazing to win my first Grade 1 for a trainer like Graham Motion,"
said Van Dyke, who is now a journeyman. "I'm very blessed.
"I was following Mike Smith on Za Approval (Ghostzapper) and I thought he
would be a good guy to follow, I expected him to show more speed than he did
today. I tried to be as patient as I could, I swung out and when I saw the eight
horse, Summer Front I was far out so I tried to cut back in to let my horse see
him and my horse just kicked on from there.
"I got to breeze Ring Weekend on the turf last week and he worked amazing
(going a half-mile in :48 2/5 around the 'dogs' February 28), I never moved on
him. He came back well and really fresh.
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| ...and for young jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who galloped out "with the biggest smile ever"
(Benoit Photo) |
"It's my first Grade I, it's amazing. When I was galloping out I was smiling
the biggest smile ever."Victor Espinoza, Summer Front's rider, described his view in deep stretch.
"I thought we got this one by the way he ran," Espinoza said. "I was
surprised by the way the other horse beat me. I wait, I wait, I wait and then I
said 'It's time to go.' And he goes. He's quick out of there.
"The next time I looked back on the outside, the other horse (Ring Weekend)
went by me like I was standing still."
Home Run Kitten (Kitten's Joy) rallied belatedly for third, another 2 1/4
lengths behind Summer Front. Za Approval checked in fourth, while defending
champion Winning Prize (Pure Prize) had traffic trouble on the inside in fifth.
"I never had a chance to come out and get in the clear," jockey Rafael
Bejarano said. "This horse likes to run in the clear. I would have liked to have
an outside position, but I tried to do my best. The horse hasn't run in eight
months, but he still ran good."
Holy Lute faded to seventh, and pace foes Dimension and Mr. Commons were 10th
and 11th, the
last two across the wire.
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Ring Weekend's biggest career score came on the exact same weekend as his
previous signature win -- the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), held on the corresponding
Saturday in 2014. Subsequently second at odds of 1-5 in the Calder Derby, he was
ruled out of Kentucky Derby (G1) consideration after spiking a fever. Ring
Weekend wound up fifth in the Preakness (G1) and was pulled up in the Pegasus
(G3).
The gelding reverted to turf, where he has stayed ever since. He couldn't
catch Tourist (Tiznow) in the one-mile Sir Cat at Saratoga, but captured the 1
1/8-mile Saranac (G3) and Hill Prince (G3), Ring Weekend ended the season with a
sixth in the Twilight Derby (G2) last time out, his only prior appearance at
Santa Anita. With the Kilroe to his credit, his resume reads 14-5-3-2, and he
has become a millionaire with $1,095,410 in earnings.
Bred by Gainesway Thoroughbreds in Kentucky, Ring Weekend was sold for
$310,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September. He is out of the multiple
stakes-placed Free the Magic (Cryptoclearance), who is also responsible for the
stakes-placed Bamboo (Menifee). His second dam is French Group 1-placed Pompoes
(*Belmont), a Danish-bred who produced Group 2 victor Forest Wind (Green
Forest), multiple stakes winner and Grade/Group 3-placed Three Generations (Alydar)
and Grade 3-placed stakes scorer Flash of Joy (Cryptoclearance), a full brother
to Ring Weekend's dam.
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