Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Cyberknife rebounded from his 18th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and put his nose in front of pacesetter Howling Time at the wire to narrowly win Sunday's 25th running of the $225,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at Churchill Downs.
Cyberknife, owned by Al Gold's Gold Square LLC, clocked 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:41.98 under Florent Geroux, who rode the winner for trainer Brad Cox. Both Geroux and Cox teamed to win last year's Matt Winn with Fulsome. Additionally, Geroux won the 2016 Matt Winn aboard Cyberknife's sire Gun Runner.
Cyberknife, breaking from post No. 6 of seven, hesitated slightly at the start as last year's Street Sense Stakes winner Howling Time broke alertly from the three-stall to lead the field of seven through fractions of :24.19, :47.81, 1:11.51, and 1:35.60. Cyberknife was never more than a length off Howling Time's right hip. Leaving the final turn, the two drew even and brushed each other slightly before engaging in a thrill stretch battle. A photo finish was needed to determine the winner as the two appeared to hit the wire together.
The narrow victory was worth $136,520 and improved Cyberknife's overall record to 4-2-0 and earnings of $996,520 from eight starts.
“He broke a little slow but I was able to get him into a good position,” Geroux said. “He was traveling well and (Howling Time) was really game on my inside. We were battling the whole stretch. I couldn't tell which one of us won, but I'm glad it was Cyberknife.”
Added Howling Time's jockey Joe Talamo, “You can't get a more brutal beat than that.”
Cyberknife, the odds-on 1-2 favorite, returned $3.
Howling Time, the 4-1 second choice and finished six lengths in front of Rattle N Roll under Brian Hernandez Jr.
Droppin G's was another eight lengths back in fourth, and was followed by Camp David, Trafalgar, and Tough to Tame.
Cyberknife, out of the six-time stakes-winning Flower Alley mare Awesome Flower, was bred in Kentucky by Ken and the late Sarah Ramsey. The colt is named after Accuray Inc.'s robotic radiation therapy that was successfully used to treat 66-year-old Gold's prostate cancer.
“He's still a developing 3-year-old and he gets that experience by running in the afternoon,” Cox said. “I think he's making good progress and ran hard today. We got on the right side of a tight photo. (Howling Time) ran a really game race. (Cyberknife) is a horse that I think we are looking to take the next step. He's a sound, happy horse and he's growing up. We're excited about him as a prospect throughout the rest of the year.”
The Matt Winn is named in honor of the famed Churchill Downs president that served as the driving force in the development of the Downs and his beloved Kentucky Derby.
The post ‘We Were Battling The Whole Stretch’: Cyberknife Prevails By Slimmest Margin In Matt Winn Thriller appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
