Bowies Hero, winner of last year's GII Mathis Brothers Mile, returned to the same course and distance to score the upset in Saturday's GI Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. The bay colt settled into midpack going into the first turn as What a View (Vronsky) and Om (Munnings) contested the early pace through fractions of :22.79, :45.56 and 1:09.11. Bowies Hero rallied along the inside of favored World Approval (Northern Afleet) nearing the stretch, but while last year's turf champion was unable to offer any challenge, Bowies Hero found a seam between rivals and forged to the lead before holding off Next Shares late for the win.
“Tomorrow is my birthday [42], but we'll celebrate it today,” said winning trainer Phil D'Amato. “This horse competes every step of the way. He's steadily progressing and today he showed he can compete amongst the elite in the turf mile division. Hat's off to Corey [Nakatani] for helping this horse's development.”
Mark Martinez, of co-owner Agave Racing, added, “We'll just enjoy this one before making any plans, but I will say this…I used to say he was an honest horse but now, he's just a damn good horse.”
Flavien Prat, aboard World Approval, admitted his mount never felt like he was going to be competitive in the race.
“No, at no point did I feel like he was going to catch up and win,” Prat said. “I had a good trip, I had a great pace in front of me, but he just didn't fire. That's it.”
Bowies Hero, who opened 2017 with a win in the Singletary S., was third in the GII Del Mar Derby and GII Twilight Derby and finished fifth in the Nov. 25 GI Hollywood Derby before ending the year with a win in the Dec. 26 GII Mathis Brothers Mile. He was second, beaten just a half-length by Om, in the Feb. 10 GIII Thunder Road S. last time out.
Pedigree Notes:
Bowies Hero is the first foal out of the unraced Remembered. The mare's colt by Shakin It Up sold for $65,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She was bred to Runhappy in 2017. The mare is a half-sister to GISP Sister Girl Blues (Hold for Gold), dam of GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Firing Line (Line of David). Remembered is also a half to the dam of Grade I winner Sharp Azteca.
Saturday, Santa Anita
FRANK E. KILROE MILE S.-GI, $401,035, SA, 3-10, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.61, fm.
1–BOWIES HERO, 122, c, 4, by Artie Schiller
1st Dam: Remembered, by Sky Mesa
2nd Dam: Sister Girl, by Conquistador Cielo
3rd Dam: Scipio, by Danzig
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($16,000 RNA Wlg '14 KEENOV; $17,000 Ylg
'15 KEESEP; $32,000 2yo '16 EASMAY). O-Agave Racing Stable,
ERJ Racing, LLC & Madaket Stables LLC; B-Pope, Pope Jr. &
Marc McLean (KY); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Corey S. Nakatani.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: 13-6-1-2, $641,325.. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*[bullet ad=”taylor-made-private-sale-broker”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-congrats-to-connections”][bullet ad=”robert-keckcrestwood”][bullet ad=”crestwood-foaledraisedsold”[bullet ad=”hebert-trainingcentergrad”[bullet ad=”winaward-40k”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”thorostride-new”]
2–Next Shares, 120, g, 5, Archarcharch–Two Dot Slew, by
Evansville Slew. ($87,000 Ylg '14 FTKOCT; $190,000 4yo '17
KEENOV). O-C. Dunn, J. McClanahan, W. Marasa, M. Taylor & Robershaw; B-Buck Pond Farm, Inc. (KY); T-Richard Baltas.$80,000.[bullet ad=”elite-sales-grad”]
3–Channel Maker, 120, g, 4, English Channel–In Return, by
Horse Chestnut (SAf). ($57,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Joey
Gee Thoroughbreds, Wachtel Stable & Gary Barber; B-Tall
Oaks Farm (ON); T-William I. Mott. $48,000.[bullet ad=”bsw-bloodstock-purchased-privately”][bullet ad=”ontario-bred”]
Margins: HF, HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 8.30, 16.60, 7.10.
Also Ran: Syntax (Ire), World Approval, Om, What a View, Free Rose. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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