NEWS
Richard’s Kid rallies to win San Antonio
Posted: Sunday, February 07, 2010 6:35 PM
RICHARD'S KID FINDS THE WIRE IN SAN ANTONIO HANDICAP (G2)
Benoit & Associates photo
To view the San Antonio Handicap, click here.
by Steve Bailey
Bottled up in last on the final turn, Richard’s Kid found an opening along the rail in midstretch and drove with determination to a head victory in the $150,000 San Antonio Handicap (G2) on Sunday at Santa Anita Park.
The five-year-old Lemon Drop Kid horse raced near the back of the of the 11-horse field for the entire trip under jockey Garrett Gomez before darting to the rail and gamely driving to the victory in the final strides, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.05 on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface.
The San Antonio is traditionally a prep for the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), but winning trainer Bob Baffert has his eyes on a different prize this March—the $10-million Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) at the new Meydan Racecourse.
“I thought he had no chance at the top of the stretch,” Baffert said. "They were going slow and he was getting a little rank … he was way back there. The pace was the deciding factor and you can't really change his style.
“Turning for home I thought, 'Boy, they're going so slow,' and I couldn't see him. I heard [my wife] Jill yelling for him … but he was on the rail and he just shot through there."
Baffert said he plans to train the horse up to the 2,000-meter (9.94-furlong) Dubai World Cup on Meydan’s synthetic Tapeta Footings surface.
Mast Track hustled to the front early in the San Antonio and took the field through a tepid half-mile in :48.94 and six furlongs in 1:13.02 as Richard’s Kid, the 8-to-5 favorite, trailed on the inside.
Splitting horses at the top of the stretch, Gomez began to make his way through traffic and, finally seeing daylight at the rail, quickly steered Richard’s Kid inside to make his final bid. Richard’s Kid unleashed his powerful finishing kick and had just enough real estate to prevail by a head, winning in his first start for Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed al Maktoum’s Zabeel Racing International.
"I stayed down inside with him because there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it,” Gomez said. “Nobody was really stopping today, so the only way we were going to overcome that was to save ground. He's got a great kick."
Stakes winner Dakota Phone also closed gamely but just missed on the outside, finishing a head in front of Philatelist in third.
Richard’s Kid won three of 11 starts last season, including the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar, and entered off a sixth-place finish behind Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in his 2009 finale.
Overall, Richard’s Kid has won seven of 22 starts and earned $891,370. He is one of four winners from five starters out of the multiple stakes-winning Broad Brush mare Tough Broad.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
