Kitodan, claimed for $80,000 just four starts ago, flew home from out of the clouds to pull the 20-1 upset in the GIII Dueling Grounds Derby on Kentucky Downs's rescheduled card Monday. The bay colt settled near the back of the 12-horse field and was well off the pace as Double Clutch (Optimizer) bowled along on the front end through pedestrian splits. Kitodan was well-held by jockey Gerardo Corrales as the field began to bunch up climbing the hill. He was mired in traffic turning for home and was tipped to the center of the track as Double Clutch began to grudgingly give way to a host of challengers. It was Kitodan moving best of all late, surging clear to an authoritative victory.
Kitodan, winner of the Apr. 2 Rushaway S., was claimed from trainer Mike Maker and Paradise Farm and David Staudacher for $80,000 in his very next start, a third-place effort at Churchill Downs May 15. He won the $200,000 Audubon S. in his first start for the new connections June 4 before a fourth-place effort over the main track in the July 2 American Derby. He was most recently fifth in the Aug. 7 Evan Williams Turf Mile S. at Ellis Park.
Pedigree Notes:
Kitodan is the seventh graded winner for Point of Entry. His dam, Divine Presence, produced fillies by Karakontie (Jpn) in each of the last three years. The mare is a daughter of champion Divine Proportions, who also produced group winner Eightfold Path (Giant's Causeway). She was exported to Japan after selling for $50,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. She had RNA'd, with Kitodan in utero, for $80,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale. Her Karakontie weanling filly sold for $87,323 at this year's JRHA July sale.
Monday, Kentucky Downs
BIG ASS FANS DUELING GROUNDS DERBY-GIII, $750,000, Kentucky Downs, 9-5, 3yo, 1 5/16mT, 2:15.41, gd.
1–KITODAN, 124, c, 3, by Point of Entry
1st Dam: Divine Presence, by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Divine Proportions, by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Myth to Reality (Fr), by Sadler's Wells
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($9,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Foster
Family Racing, Douglas E. Miller & William J. Wargel;
B-Flaxman Holdings Limited (KY); T-Eric N. Foster; J-Gerardo
Corrales. $432,450. Lifetime Record: 15-6-1-3, $779,641. *1/2
to Market King (Into Mischief), GSP, $236,271. Werk Nick
Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Grand Sonata, 124, c, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–A. P. Sonata, by A.P.
Indy. ($125,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Whisper Hill Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $139,500.
3–Mount Rundle, 118, g, 3, Jack Milton–Beaucoup, by English
Channel. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($7,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Circle 8; B-Pope & Marc McLean, Pope
McLean Jr. & Taproot Bloodstock, LLC (KY); T-Michelle Nihei.
$69,750.
Margins: 4, 3HF, HD. Odds: 20.74, 4.80, 17.19.
Also Ran: Always Above, Dripping Gold, Ready to Purrform, Speaking Scout, Double Clutch, Running Bee, Red Run, Tallahatchiebridge, Western River. Scratched: Camp David, Russian Tank. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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