Kitodan, claimed for $80,000 just four warm-ups before, flew home from the clouds to drag a 20-1 defeat in the GIII Dueling Grounds Derby on Monday’s rescheduled Kentucky Downs card . The bay pony settled near the rear of the 12-horse yard and picked up speed as the Dual Clutch (Optimizer) raced along the front end past the pedestrian dividers. Kitodan was held firmly by rider Gerardo Corrales as the course began to climb the hill. He got bogged down in traffic turning home and swerved in the middle of the track as Double Clutch began to reluctantly give way to a barrage of challengers. It was Kitodan’s best move of all late, clearly rising for a competent victory.
Kitodan, the April 2 Rushaway S. winner, was claimed by coaches Mike Maker and Paradise Farm and David Staudacher for $80,000 in the next start, a bid for third place at Churchill Downs May 15. He won the Audubon S. in his first start for new connections on June 4 before attempting a fourth-place finish on the main track in the Derby. USA on July 2. Most recently he placed fifth in the Evan Williams Turf Mile S. August 7 at Ellis Park.
Genealogical notes:
Kitodan was the seventh ranked winner for Entry Points. His dam, Divine Presence, was created by Karakontie (Jpn) in each of the past three years. The mare is the daughter of the champion Divine Proportions, who also produced the winner of the group Eightfold Path (Giant’s Causeway). She was exported to Japan after selling for $50,000 at Keeneland’s November sale last year. She had RNA’d, with Kitodan in utero, for $80,000 at the January 2019 sale in Keeneland. She Karakontie Weanling filly sold for $87,323 at this year’s July JRHA sale.
Monday, Kentucky Downs
BIG ASS FANS DUELING GROUNDS DERBY-GIII$750,000, Kentucky Downs, 9-5, 3yo, 1 5/16mT, 2:15.41, gd.
first-KITODAN, 124, c, 3, according to the entry point
Dam One: Divine Presence, by AP Indy
Beat 2: Divine Proportions, by Kingmambo
Strike 3: Legend to Reality (Fr), by Sadler’s Wells
WINNER GRADE 1 STORE. ($9,000 Ylg ’20 HOLD). O-Foster
Family Racing, Douglas E. Miller & William J. Wargel;
B-Flaxman Holdings Limited (KY); T-Eric N. Foster; J-Gerardo
Corrales. $432,450. Lifetime record: 15-6-1-3, $779,641. * 1/2
for Market King (Into Mischief), GSP, $236,271. Nick Werk
Rating: B. Click to view eNicks report & pedigree of 5 children or
Free Equineline.com catalog-style genealogy.
2 – Grand Sonata124, c, 3, Medaglia d’Oro–AP Sonata, by AP
Indy. ($125,000 RNA Ylg ’20 KEESEP). O/B-Whisper Hill Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. 139,500 dollars.
3–Mount Rundle118, g, 3, Jack Milton – Beaucoup, in English
Channel. TYPE 1 BLACK, TYPE OF BLACK LEVEL 1. (7,000 dollars
Ylg ’20 HOLD). O-Circle 8; B-Pope & Marc McLean, Pope
McLean Jr. & Taproot Bloodstock, LLC (KY); T-Michelle Nihei.
69,750 dollars.
Margins: 4, 3HF, HD. Odds: 20.74, 4.80, 17.19.
Also Ran: Always Above, Dripping Gold, Ready to Purrform, Speaking Scout, Double Clutch, Running Bee, Red Run, Tallahatchiebridge, Western River. Scratches: Camp David, Russian Tank. Click to view Equibase.com chart or PP of TJCIS.com. VIDEO sponsored by TVG.
