Frank E. Kilroe Mile | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gold Phoenix Rises To Challenge In Kilroe Mile

Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) jumped out of the ground with an eighth of a mile to run in Saturday's GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. at Santa Anita and outsprinted the fast-finishing Du Jour (Temple City) for a maiden success at the top level.

Beaten for speed, the chestnut settled in the second half of the field as Air Force Red (Air Force Blue) cut out a modest pace of :47.06 for the opening half-mile while pursued by Masteroffoxhounds (War Front). The Kilroe field was tightly bunched as they approached the entrance to the second turn, with the two pacesetters continuing to dictate as even-money Hong Kong Harry (Ire) (Es Que Love {GB}) slid up three wide to loom a danger. Remaining glued to the fence and quietly ridden into the final three-eighths of a mile by Kazushi Kimura, Gold Phoenix traveled strongly into the lane, exploded through a hole four off the inside at the furlong grounds and found the wire a neck to the good of Du Jour, who also displayed a sharp turn of foot to just miss. Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) was along late for third ahead of the race favorite, who made an awkward move outside the eighth pole and never fully recovered.

An allowance winner over course and distance last April, Gold Phoenix was campaigned at nine furlongs and beyond for the balance of the season, highlighted by a head victory over Master Piece (Chi) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in last year's GII Del Mar H. going a mile and three-eighths Sept. 3. Beaten a neck into third as the 13-10 chalk in the GII John Henry Turf Championship at 10 panels Oct. 1, Gold Phoenix was last seen finishing a wide-trip 10th in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland Nov. 5.

Pedigree Notes:

Gold Phoenix is the first top-level scorer for his sire, a son of Lope de Vega (Ire) who began his career at Darley's Kildangan Stud in Ireland and now shuttles between Bearstone Stud in the United Kingdom and Haunui Farm in New Zealand.

The winner's dam, a full-sister to Hong Kong Group 1 winner Sea Defence (Giant Treasure–HK) and to MGSW Jibboom–the dam of Irish Group 3 winner Flying Jib (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB})– was purchased by Jim Ryan for $70,000 in foal to Bellamy Road at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale. Magnifica is the dam of a yearling full-brother to Gold Phoenix.

Saturday, Santa Anita
FRANK E. KILROE MILE S.-GI, $501,500, Santa Anita, 3-4, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.45, gd.
1–GOLD PHOENIX (IRE), 122, g, 5, by Belardo (Ire)
                1st Dam: Magnifica, by Mizzen Mast
                2nd Dam: Palisade, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Peplum, by Nijinsky II
1ST GRADE I WIN. (€24,000 RNA Ylg '19 GOFSPT). O-Little Red
Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, LLC and Marsha Naify;
B-Mighty Universe Ltd (Ire); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Kazushi
Kimura. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 11-4-3-3, $675,257.
Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Du Jour, 120, g, 5, Temple City–Guiltless, by Bernardini.
($19,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $280,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR). O-Natalie
Baffert and Debbie Lanni; B-Woods Edge Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $100,000.
3–Cabo Spirit, 122, g, 4, Pioneerof the Nile–Fancy Day (Ire),
by Shamardal. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($145,000 RNA Ylg '20
KEESEP; $575,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Kretz Racing LLC;
B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-George Papaprodromou. $60,000.
Margins: NK, 3/4, NK. Odds: 10.80, 10.20, 37.30.
Also Ran: Hong Kong Harry (Ire), Air Force Red, Masteroffoxhounds, Balnikhov (Ire), Royal Ship (Brz). Scratched: Irideo (Arg).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Kilroe Winner Hits the Road for First Time in Maker’s Mark Mile

The winner of four straight races and six of nine overall, including a first-ever Grade I triumph for his trainer last out, progressive Hit the Road (More Than Ready) will travel outside of California for the first time in his career to face eight rivals in a competitive renewal of the GI Maker's Mark Mile Friday at Keeneland.

Capturing his first two turf tries, the latter coming in the Zuma Beach S., as a 2-year-old, the bay ran seventh before being disqualified to last in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and was fourth in the GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. That's the last time Hit the Road has tasted defeat, as he followed up a Santa Anita allowance score last spring with a tally in the restricted Oceanside S. July 10 at Del Mar. Given the rest of his sophomore campaign off, he's come back better than ever, dominating the GIII Thunder Road S. by 3 3/4 lengths and squeezing through a narrow opening to take the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. to give conditioner Dan Blacker a career high Mar. 6 at Santa Anita.

Given the narrow nod at 7-2 on the morning line is the lone other Grade I winner in the field, Peter Brant's Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Rallying to a victory in the GI Hollywood Derby in December of 2018, the now 6-year-old has had a difficult time finding the winning thread since then, scoring just once in his subsequent 10 tries, albeit at the highest level in last spring's GI Shoemaker Mile S. at Santa Anita. The Chad Brown trainee ran a close third in this event last year and was runner-up in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile S. here in the fall before running 10th in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile.

Lightly-raced Darain (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) intrigues as he takes a steep class hike. Starting his career two-for-two last summer in his native land for John Gosden, he failed to hit the board in the G2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur S. or G3 Darley S., but was a narrow second and registered a sharp allowance score in two tries for Brad Cox this winter at Fair Grounds. Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) also commands respect, as his twin 105 Beyers from his runner-up finish in Pimlico's GII Dinner Party S. and victory in the New York-bred Mohawk S. last fall are tied with Raging Bull's Shoemaker figure for field best.

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Hit The Road Finds Room Late, Takes Kilroe Mile For Blacker’s First Grade 1

In a thrilling head and head battle to the wire, trainer Dan Blacker's Hit the Road prevailed by a neck over 5-2 favorite Smooth Like Strait, in Saturday's $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita, providing Blacker, 38, with his first Grade 1 triumph. Ridden for the first time by eastern-based Florent Geroux, Hit the Road, 4-year-old colt by More Than Ready, out of the U S Ranger mare Highway Mary, got the mile on grass in 1:34.48.

With longshot Flying Scotsman hustled from his outside post, Smooth Like Strait fell into a stalking trip second, while Hit the Road was at joint third at the rail with Casa Creed to his outside and about three lengths off the lead heading into the far turn.

Leaving the quarter pole, Smooth Like Strait, under Umberto Rispoli, assumed command while Hit the Road was forced to wait for racing room behind a three-horse spread that included Smooth Like Strait, Flying Scotsman and Casa Creed. Full of run, Geroux found a seam two from the rail a furlong out and from there, it was game-on between Hit the Road and the runner-up.

“I was pretty anxious, but I thought if he can get through, he's got a good chance,” said Blacker in recanting the final quarter mile. “Luckily 'Flo' found a gap and he proved he's the best today. I gave myself 10 years to win a Grade I and luckily we got it done in year nine. I don't want to make this all about me. It's all about the horse, he's such a professional animal, he is a true racehorse. He was born that way, he's just a true athlete and so mentally focused on racing.”

With Rispoli opting to stay with multiple graded winner Smooth Like Strait over recent G3 Thunder Road Stakes winner Hit the Road, Geroux was more than happy to take the Kilroe call and Hit the Road was off at 4-1, returning $10.40, $5.40 and $4.20.

“The trip made the difference, we got very lucky with the trip,” said Geroux. “It opened up at the right time and the horse got the job done. It was all heart. Sometimes when you have to go through a tight spot, the horse doesn't necessarily cooperate, but he did great and did everything I asked him to … I liked my horse and the one horse (Smooth Like Strait), and I thought it was going to be very tough between those two. I was able to follow him all the way around and got through on the inside.”

Owned by D K Racing, LLC, Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road, in taking his first Grade I stakes, improved his overall mark to 9-6-0-0 and with the winner's share of $240,000, increased his earnings to $494,751.

In a huge effort, Smooth Like Strait, who finished a neck better than a flying Count Again, paid $4.40 and $3.40.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Count Again rallied from far back and paid $6.60 while off at 16-1.

Fractions on the race were 23.17, 47.32, 1:11.28 and 1:22.91.

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