Proviso pips Fluke at the post in Kilroe Mile

Juddmonte Farms' homebred PROVISO (GB) (Dansili [GB]) got up in the

final stride to nab the front-running Fluke (Brz) (Wild Event) in Saturday's

$250,000

Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) at Santa Anita. Trained by Bill Mott and

piloted for the first time by Mike Smith, the five-year-old mare beat the boys

in a final time of 1:35 1/5 for one mile on the firm turf. Proviso thus ranks as

the first distaffer to win the Kilroe in its 51st running.

In a result tinged with irony, the top two finishers had both been trained by

the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, with his longtime assistant, Humberto

Ascanio, overseeing their preparations. Following Frankel's death, most of the

Juddmonte horses -- including Proviso -- were transferred to Mott. Ascanio then

opened up his own stable, and among those still in his charge is Fluke, the

tough-beat runner-up in the Kilroe.

As another postscript, Proviso's photo-finish success in the Kilroe came

nearly one year ago to the very day when another Juddmonte diva, Ventura, was

just denied in the Kilroe by dual champion Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat).

Fluke, who had not raced since capturing the November 27 Citation H. (G1) in

his first start for Ascanio, gunned to the early lead through an opening quarter

in :23 4/5. Red Alert Day (GB) (Diktat) moved through along the fence to press

Fluke through fractions of :48 2/5 and 1:12 2/5, and actually put his head in

front briefly between calls. Ever a Friend (Crafty Friend), the 2008 Kilroe

winner, tracked in third on the outside, nearly in tandem with the rail-skimming

Blue Chagall (Fr) (Testa Rossa). Throughout the first six furlongs, Proviso

loped in eighth, next to last in the nine-horse field.

Leaving the far turn, Fluke kept finding more and began to edge away from Red

Alert Day. Blue Chagall made an adroit move to loom into

contention, but could not quite sustain his bid straightening into the stretch.

With his closest pursuers beaten, Fluke opened up inside the final furlong. By

this time, Proviso was making smooth headway. Slicing between a one-paced Blue

Chagall and a weakening Red Alert Day, she set out after Fluke. The leader

fought on bravely, but Proviso went into overdrive in the waning yards to

prevail by a nose.

"Billy (Mott) told me, 'You've got to get her to relax if you can. Anything

you do could set her off,'" Smith said. "She beat a great bunch of boys here

today. I thought I won it, and I pumped my fist just to sell it (to the placing

judges)."

"I thought he got the bob," assistant trainer Leana Williford said.

Dispatched as the 9-2 third choice, Proviso returned $11.40, $6.20 and $4

while spearheading the $1 exotics -- $26.50 (exacta), $109.50 (trifecta) and

$915.70 (8-9-10-2 superfecta). Fluke paid $5 and $3.40 as the 3-1 second choice.

It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to the rallying Battle of Hastings (GB) (Royal

Applause [GB]), who overtook Blue Chagall and Red Alert for third and yielded $4

to show at nearly 5-1. Ever a Friend checked in sixth, followed by Monzante

(Maria's Mon), Awesome Gem (Awesome Again) and Acclamation (Unusual Heat).

Tuscan Evening (Ire) (Oasis Dream [GB]) was withdrawn, as well as Red Sun (Redattore

[Brz]), who is entered in Sunday's 4TH race on the downhill course.

Proviso's first top-level score, and fourth career stakes victory overall,

improved her record to 19-6-3-5, $925,473. Originally based in France with Andre

Fabre, the bay garnered the 2007 Prix du Calvados (Fr-G3) as a juvenile and

finished second in the Fillies Mile (Eng-G1). Proviso added the Prix Occitaine

the following season while placing third in the Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-G1), Prix

Vanteaux (Fr-G3), Prix de Psyche (Fr-G3) and Prix Chloe (Fr-G3). Last year, she

finished third to superstar Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) in the Prix Rothschild

(Fr-G1) and concluded her European career with a neck decision in the Prix du

Pin (Fr-G3).

Proviso made her American, and synthetic, debut in the Spinster S. (G1) at

Keeneland, where she finished first but was disqualified and placed second for

interfering with Mushka (Empire Maker). After checking in fourth in the

Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1) at Santa Anita, she reappeared to finish

second in the January 31 Santa Monica H. (G1) last time out. The Kilroe marked

her first turf start in the United States.

Bred in Great Britain, Proviso is out of the Woodman mare Binche, who is also

responsible for 2009 Prix Pelleas winner Byword (Peintre Celebre). Binche, a

half-sister to Norwegian Group 3 victor Binary File (Nureyev), comes from the

family of English stakes scorers Bal Harbour (Shirley Heights) and Bequeath

(Rainbow Quest). Proviso's fourth dam is the influential matron *Peace II (*Klairon).