Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Kodiak Kowboy Rallies for Carter Victory
Kodiak Kowboy scored the first grade I victory of his career and became a millionaire in dramatic fashion, rallying late to edge the front-running
Fabulous Strike by a head in the $300,000
Carter Handicap (
VIDEO) April 4 at Aqueduct. It was the eighth win in 17 career starts for Kodiak Kowboy, who was Canada’s champion 2-year-old male in 2007.
Ridden by John Velazquez, Kodiak Kowboy covered the Carter’s seven furlongs in 1:22.47 in his second outing of 2009, improving on a second-place finish in the Duncan F. Kenner Stakes at Fair Grounds March 14. Prior to this year, the 4-year-old Posse colt had notched victories in five added-money events, including the Saratoga Special (gr. II) and Bashford Manor (gr. III) Stakes in 2007, and the Amsterdam Stakes (gr. II) and the Sport Page Handicap (gr. III) in 2008.
“He makes you work for it, but he runs,” said Velazquez, following the Carter. “At the eighth pole, I was very confident, and when I got to the sixteenth pole, he started to slow down a little bit. I said, ‘Oh no, buddy, you’ve got to keep going.’ Then, he jumped a footprint near the wire, and I said, ‘My gosh!’ Once he got rolling on the turn, I knew I had a pretty good shot to win it.”
Kodiak Kowboy, whose career earnings rose to $1,035,558 with his $180,000 share of the Carter purse, is out of the Coronado’s Quest mare Kokadrie. He was bred in Kentucky by Hartwell Farm.
Kodiak Kowboy, who races for Vinery and Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farm, is trained by Larry Jones. The colt was coupled in the Carter betting with Fox Hill Farm and Richard Brand’s Biker Boy, and the entry was sent off as the favorite.
“We couldn’t be happier,” said Vinery general manager Tom Ludt. “He has got two grade IIs at Saratoga (the Special and the Amsterdam) and now a grade I here. He loves New York. We got a prep race into him at the Fair Grounds, and we aimed for this spot. Now we’re going to aim for another grade I at Saratoga (Forego, Sept. 5).”
Kodiak Kowboy has captured graded events at all three of the tracks operated by the New York Racing Association. In addition to his Saratoga and Aqueduct efforts, he picked up a graded victory at Belmont Park in the Sport Page.
Kodiak Kowboy has siblings at Woodford Thoroughbreds by Lion Heart and Giant's Causeway. The Lion Heart colt will sell at Keeneland September and the Giant's Causeway filly will be sold next year as a yearling.