To view the Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile Handicap, click here.
by Mike Curry
Kodiak Kowboy closed with a steady rush to reel in Vineyard Haven and Bribon (Fr) en route to his third Grade 1 win of the year in the Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) on Saturday at Aqueduct.
With victories this season in the Carter Handicap (G1), Vosburgh Stakes (G1), and Cigar Mile, Kodiak Kowboy solidified his credentials as a contender for the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter. The four-year-old Posse colt was on target for the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) on November 7 but trainer Steve Asmussen bypassed the race after an unsatisfactory endoscopic examination following a workout.
Kodiak Kowboy improved to four wins, three seconds, and one third in eight starts this season for owners Fox Hill Farm and Vinery Stables. He also won the Donald Levine Memorial Handicap at Philadelphia Park and finished second by a half-length in the Forego Stakes (G1). The Cigar Mile was Kodiak Kowboy’s final start, closing his career with 11 wins in 23 starts and earnings of $1,663,363.
"That's three Grade 1s this year. We couldn't be happier. This horse has been so good for us,” said Tom Ludt, president of Vinery, where he will stand for $12,500 in 2010. “Now, he's going home to be a dad."
Shaun Bridgmohan rated Kodiak Kowboy in third then fourth alongside Bribon as Driven by Success and Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes (G1) winner Vineyard Haven dueled through an opening quarter in :23.69 and a half-mile in :46.80 in the one-turn mile. Vineyard Haven edged away from Driven by Success entering the stretch but was challenged almost immediately by Shadwell Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner Bribon.
Vineyard Haven and Bribon matched strides in a thrilling duel to the sixteenth pole, but Kodiak Kowboy uncoiled a powerful late burst of speed to overhaul both challengers in the closing strides for a three-quarter-length win.
"He is such a cool horse,” Bridgmohan said. “I had such a great trip. I was just very patient with him, and when I asked him, he responded like the professional he's always been. What a nice horse."
Bribon edged Vineyard Haven by a head for second.
"I like him [Vineyard Haven] to be there in front, that's the plan,” trainer Saeed bin Suroor said. “But the horse is not the same as we saw in his last two races. I talked to [jockey] Alan [Garcia] and he said he was struggling and when he went to ask him, there was nothing there. I was disappointed with the result.”
Canada’s 2007 champion two-year-old male, Kodiak Kowboy could capitalize on a wide-open sprint division following Dancing in Silks’ 25.30-to-1 upset win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor