by Jeff Apel
Grade 2 winner Out of Control (Brz) and stakes winner Storm Military (Arg), stablemates trained by Bobby Frankel, are among seven older horses entered in the $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (G1) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
Out of Control has not started since closing last season with a nose win in the Oak Tree Mile Stakes (G2) on October 7 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita. A Stud TNT homebred, Out of Control earned his first career stakes win in the 2007 American Invitational Handicap (G2). The five-year-old Vettori horse finished second in last season’s Eddie Read Handicap (G1) at Del Mar.
Storm Military posted a three-length win in his most recent start in the Thunder Road Handicap on February 2 at Santa Anita. Kilroe Mile entrant Mr Napper Tandy (GB) finished second in the Thunder Road.
A multiple Group 1 winner and champion in his native Argentina, Storm Military finished second in the 2007 War Chant Stakes during the Oak Tree meeting in his North American debut.
Out of Control is one of three graded stakes winners in a field that also includes Grade 1 winner Artiste Royal (Ire) and Grade 2 winner Willow O Wisp.
Artiste Royal earned his first win in ten North American starts with a victory in the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship Stakes (G1) on October 7 at the Oak Tree meeting. The Danehill ridgling placed in six graded stakes in 2006. Artiste Royal enters off an unplaced finish in the Japan Cup (Jpn-G1) on November 25 at Tokyo Racecourse.
Willow O Wisp is winless in his previous seven starts. Trained by Vladimir Cerin for Robert Alexander, the Misnomer gelding enters off a third-place finish in the Turf Paradise Handicap on February 16.
Multiple stakes winner War Monger will make his Santa Anita debut in the Kilroe Mile. A Peter Vegso homebred trained by Bill Mott, War Monger enters off a win in the Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes on January 26 at Gulfstream Park.
Jeff Apel is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor
The field, in post-position order with (sire), jockey, weight and trainer:
1. War Monger (War Chant), Kent J. Desormeaux, 116, William I. Mott;
2. Mr Napper Tandy [GB] (Bahamian Bounty [GB]), Richard Migliore, 114, Jack Carava;
3. Out of Control [BRZ] (Vettori [IRE]), Michael C. Baze, 117, Robert J. Frankel;
4. Artiste Royal [IRE] (Danehill), Rafael Bejarano, 118, Neil D. Drysdale;
5. Storm Military [ARG] (Bernstein), Garrett K. Gomez, 116, Robert J. Frankel;
6. Willow O Wisp (Misnomer), Victor Espinoza, 114, Vladimir Cerin; and
7. Ever a Friend (Crafty Friend), Tyler Baze, 113, Mike R. Mitchell.