Vronsky Gelding Dominates Kilroe Mile on the Engine

What a View | Benoit Photo

Worse than second just twice in eight starts since switching to turf routing, What a View ran away with an open nine-furlong optional claimer here on the day after Christmas and added a facile success in the California Cup Turf Classic over that same course and distance Jan. 30. The field lined up early across the track here as a number of runners vied for command, but What a View was last to blink and hit the first turn with the edge. Doling out splits of :22.65, :46.25 and 1:10.17, he was still going strong at the top of the lane and reported home a clear-cut winner.

“Well from the 'View' I had everyone was going for the lead and this guy loves that; the faster, the better,” said pilot Kent Desormeaux, who had already won two races earlier on the card. “I thought that if they all wanted to come at him, then he'd run them into the ground and I wanted to try and win the race that way.

“He was loaded turning for home. He was enjoying himself and I think he enjoyed the soft ground. The time is incredible because the turf has a tremendous amount of give in the ground. For him to put that number up on the clock, he's a real racehorse.”

Trainer Kenny Black noted, “We've had some issues with his feet and I just wanted to keep him on the grass. There were some really tough horses in here: Bolo, Bal a Bali and Om (Munnings), so we knew we were going to have to run big to win.”

Black, a former jockey, was longtime assistant to trainer Don Warren. He took over as Old English Rancho's private trainer when Warren retired last summer. Old English Rancho's owner E. W. Buddy Johnston had passed away shortly before that.

“It feels really good to win a race like this,” said Johnston's widow Judy. “There were some tough horses in there.”

Of her late husband, she added, “He's in the skybox, up there cheering for us.”

The Johnstons campaigned in partnership their homebred Acclamation (Unusual Heat) to six Grade I wins and an Eclipse Award in 2012. The former Warren trainee stands at Old English Rancho.

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
FRANK E. KILROE MILE S.-GI, $400,345, SA, 3-12, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:35.57, gd.
1–@&WHAT A VIEW, 119, g, 5, by Vronsky
1st Dam: Oceans N Mountains, by Manila
2nd Dam: Tammi's Pal, by Lear Fan
3rd Dam: Debrah, by Dactylographer
O-Finish Line Racing, LLC, The Ellwood Johnston Trust,
P & S Berumen; B-Old English Rancho & Patsy & Sal
Berumen (CA); T-Kenneth D. Black; J-Kent J. Desormeaux.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: 11-5-2-0, $532,148. Werk Nick
Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”metanovic-halfsisavailable”]2–Bolo, 119, c, 4, Temple City–Aspen Mountain, by Chief
Seattle. O-Golden Pegasus Racing & Earle I. Mack LLC;
B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Carla Gaines. $80,000.
3–Bal a Bali (Brz), 119, h, 6, Put It Back–In My Side (Brz), by
Clackson (Brz). O-Fox Hill Farms, Inc. & Siena Farm LLC;
B-Haras Santa Maria de Araras (BRZ); T-Richard E. Mandella.
$48,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, NO, 1 3/4. Odds: 6.00, 2.10, 2.40.
Also Ran: Midnight Storm, Kenjisstorm, Om. Scratched: De Treville (GB). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.

Copy Article Link

X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.