Cyberknife Clinches First Grade 1 Win for Gold

Gold Square's Cyberknife  made a sweeping move into the far turn and kicked away from his rivals down the Oaklawn Park stretch to capture the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 2, giving Al Gold his first grade 1 success as an owner. The 3-year-old son of Gun Runner   defeated a rallying Barber Road  and favored super fillySecret Oath  by a handy 2 3/4-lengths, stamping himself as one of the favorites come the first Saturday in May.

"We were happy to be alive, we tried to take a plane to Oaklawn Park, and the plane didn't make it. We had an emergency landing at the airport after being in the air for 15 minutes," Al Gold said Sunday, speaking from his home in Del Ray Beach, Fl. "So we decided to stay home and watch it on television. There were thirty-odd people in the winner's circle and I think I knew one of them."

Al Gold, who races under the name Gold Square has seen 780 starts with a record of 155-122-104, accumulating earnings of $7,769,133. The Arkansas Derby win with Cyberknife was a monumental win for Gold, his first grade 1 success. Prior to this win, Gold campaigned the grade 2 winner of the Saratoga Special Breeders' Cup Stakes in 2006 Chace City and Little Miss Holly , winner of the 2011 Iowa Oaks (G3).

"It was a great experience, our first grade 1 win … I had been in a handful of other grade 1 horses and never hit the board, so this one was special. We won, and it was a great feeling," Gold said.

He spends half the year south in Del Ray Beach, Fla. and the other half of the year in iconic Saratoga Springs, N. Y.

Gold commented: "I started going to the racetrack when I was 16-years-old, I'm 66-years-old now, so I have 50 years of experience in this as a horseplayer."

Racing Manager Joe Hardoon picked Cyberknife, out of the stakes-winning Flower Alley  mare, Awesome Flower , from the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase Sale for $400,000 from breeder Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey's consignment (Ramsey Farm).

"Joe saw the horse at the sale; he was new to the game," Gold explained. "He was walking around, and he said, 'this is the best horse in the sale,' he had been to a handful of sales before. I hoped we could get him because a horse earlier that day sold for $1.2 million, and I wasn't going to go that high, so we were lucky to get him for $400,000."

The win Saturday was the sixth start for Cyberknife, who has hit the board in five of those efforts, with the Lecomte Stakes (G3) Jan. 22 being his only off-the-board finish. The Arkansas Derby tally landed the colt on the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) leader board with 100 points, positioning him in the fourth slot in the field of 20 as of April 3. Trained by Brad Cox, Cyberknife has accrued earnings of $785,000 this year and a total bankroll of $860,000.

"The next plan will be the Kentucky Derby. We are looking forward to that in about five weeks," said Gold. "We hope we have a quality horse to stand a chance in Kentucky."