It would seem that the sunshine agrees with Canadian native Count Again.
Since the 7-year-old gelding transferred to Southern California trainer Phil D'Amato's barn near the end of 2020, Count Again has continued to step forward in the afternoons. This Saturday, the lightly-raced son of Awesome Again delivered the first Grade 1 victory of his career when he got up in the final strides in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.
Count Again and jockey Flavien Prat, the 2-1 favorites, came from near-last in the 11-strong field, riding the rail around the turn and flying down the center of the course to defeat Space Traveller and Subconscious by a head on the wire. The final time for a mile over the firm turf course was 1:33.24.
Beyond Brilliant demanded the lead out of the starting gate, pulling away from Whisper Not by a length through fractions of :22.46 and :45.45. The hot pace saw Count Again well back early, second-last at first call, but the ever-patient Prat held his spot against the rail down the backstretch. Prat began to move forward around the far turn, but still had six lengths to make up when the field turned for home.
Meanwhile, Subconscious made a move up the inside to be third around the far turn, while Space Traveller was tracking that move and awaiting race room. That pair challenged Beyond Brilliant in the stretch, while Prat angled Count Again to the outside for his run.
It looked like Count Again might be too late when he still needed three lengths at the sixteenth pole, but the gelding dug in gamely to hit the wire a head in front. Space Traveller ran extremely well in second, while Subconscious was relegated to third. Beyond Brilliant stuck around to finish fourth.
Bred in Canada by co-owner Sam-Son Farm, Count Again is out of the stakes-winning Red Ransom mare Count to Three. Count to Three is also the dam of multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter Red Ransom.
Count Again began his career late in his 4-year-old season, winning at second asking at Keeneland for Neil Howard. He won an allowance race at Tampa for trainer Kent Sweezey to kick off his 5-year-old campaign, then transferred to Canada with trainer Gail Cox. That fall, Count Again won his first graded stakes race in the G3 Singspiel, then ran fourth in the G1 Northern Dancer before shipping to California.
D'Amato saddled the gelding to win the G2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar in his first California effort, and while Count Again didn't win a race in 2021 he kept top company and earned $132,500. This year, Count Again won the G3 Thunder Road in his prep race for the Kilroe.
The Kilroe win improves Count Again's record to six wins from 15 starts for earnings of over $750,000.
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