Kitodan Lights Up Toteboard in Dueling Grounds Derby

A furlong from the finish in the $750,000 Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby (G3T), it was Kitodan —a $9,000 yearling purchase—that stole the show in Kentucky Downs' richest race for sophomores.

The 1 5/16-mile Dueling Grounds Derby was rescheduled to Sept. 5 after a deluge left the turf course a swampy bog over the weekend. On Saturday, the track's final three races, including the $1 million WinStar Mint Million Stakes (G3T), were cancelled or postponed due to poor conditions at the turf-only track.

Benefiting from the break in racing and sunshine, the turf course, still wet from the days of rain as evidenced by the slower race times of the day, was rated good when it came time for the two stakes contests on Monday's Labor Day card.

The most experienced runner in the field of a dozen 3-year-olds with 14 career starts under his girth, Kitodan ambled along well off a crawling early pace of :25.63 and :52.29. As frontrunner Double Clutch  loped past the six-furlong marker in 1:17.62, jockey Gerardo Corrales had yet to move a finger on Kitodan, and the rider waited until the charge up the demanding slope to the finish to uncork his mount's powerful late kick.

The 20-1 shot motored up the testing incline as if it was the downhill turf at Santa Anita Park, inhaling his rivals late for a clear 4-length victory.

Grand Sonata , a grade 3 winner from the Todd Pletcher barn, fought on but couldn't keep pace with Kitodan, settling for second, 3 1/2 lengths in front of Mount Rundle .

Owned and trained by Eric Foster, who races the son of Point of Entry   in partnership with Douglas Miller and William Wargel, Kitodan ($43.48) stopped the timer in 2:15.41.

"The stars were aligned today," Miller said. "We were the Holy Ghost horse today. Bill (Wargel) and I, we’re two small grain farmers from Gallatin County, southeastern Illinois. We’ve been lifelong friends and we started partnering about a year and a half ago. Things have gotten great since we got with Eric."

Prior to his win, Kitodan had been claimed twice in his career, the first time for $35,000 after winning at Gulfstream Park from trainer Jorge Delago and the second time for $80,000 from Mike Maker. The colt had already recorded a stakes triumph for Maker in the April 2 Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park before being dropped in for a tag in an allowance optional claiming event at Churchill Downs in May. Foster swooped in to snag Kitodan, who quickly rewarded his connections with a next-out win in the June 4 Aubudon Stakes at Churchill.

"After worrying all week about the weather and the turf, I just knew we had (Kitodan) ready," Foster said. "I just can’t hardly talk. I’ve never lost my voice like this, so apparently, I was pretty excited.

"We know he’s better (going) long. This is the second time we’ve got to run him on the turf against 3-year-olds and he’s getting stronger."

Kitodan, produced from the A.P. Indy mare Divine Presence, hails from the line of breeder Flaxman Holdings' European group 1 winners Divine Proportions and Whipper. His dam has beget three winners from five foals to race and is also the dam of graded stakes-placed Market King. His earnings stand at $779,641.

Vergara Determined in Dueling Gounds Oaks

A consummate traveler in her four outings this year, making starts at Turfway, Woodbine, and Belmont Park—all a decent van ride away from trainer Graham Motion's barn at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland—Gary Broad's Vergara  made her most recent trip a winning one in the $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks.

The stretch-out in distance over the challenging Kentucky Downs turf course proved to be no obstacle for the Noble Mission  filly. After playing a cat and mouse game with Turnerloose  for most of the 1 5/16-mile journey, she dug deep in the uphill sprint to the wire to find just enough left in the tank to prevail over Skims .  

Guided by jockey Joel Rosario, Vergara traded the lead with Turnerloose through measured early fractions of :25.40, :50.67, and 1:16.11. As the field turned for home to start the climb for the finish, Turnerloose had faded back, and Andrew Rosen's Skims stuck a head in front of Vergara at the mile marker. Vergara, benefiting from the slower fractions, re-broke down the lane and outfought Skims to win by a determined head.

Vergara ($10.96) raced the 1 5/16 miles in 2:14.95.

"I thought I was going to be laying second or third or whatever. But then she put herself in the front nicely," Rosario said. "Just like Graham said, ‘Just let her be happy.’ And she was happy there. When that horse came to us, it looked like that horse would get by. But she was game and she came back and got ’em."

California Angel , a winner of this course last year, edged favored New Year's Eve  for third. The latter, second to last in the 11-horse field early, flattened out late after launching a wide bid around the final turn.

Winner of the Tepin Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack as a juvenile, Vergara entered the Dueling Grounds Oaks off a narrow defeat to Super Hoity Toity in the Aug. 6 Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine. She improved her earnings to $430,233 for her third win in eight trips to the post.

“(Vergara) ran super last time and she’s been pretty consistent, really, and she’s pretty adaptable," Motion said. "She’s run anywhere from a mile last time to more than a mile and a quarter today… Having Joel (Rosario) was huge. I think that made a big difference.”

Bred in Kentucky by Neil Jones, Vergara was acquired by Broad and Walmac Farm for $130,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Sale from the Indian Creek consignment. Out of the Street Cry mare Figure of Beauty, she is a half sister to multiple stakes winner Bullseye Beauty.

Musician Trace Adkins was on hand Monday, autographing the guitars that serve as trophies for the track's graded stakes and the Nelson's Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey Music City Stakes.

Video: Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks (BT)