What a View Upsets Kilroe Mile

California-bred What a View touted himself at the start of the year with a solid win against state-bred company in the California Cup Turf Classic Stakes, but made quite a jump from that win to his next—a wire-to-wire romp in the $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (gr. IT) March 12 at Santa Anita Park.

In his first graded stakes attempt for trainer Kenny Black, the 5-year-old Vronsky gelding wound up on the lead and never lost it, sailing 3 3/4 lengths clear of runner-up Bolo as he galloped under the line with Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux in the irons.

"From the view I had, everyone was going for the lead and this guy loves that; the faster, the better," Desormeaux said. "I thought that if they all wanted to come at him, then he'd run them into the ground, and I wanted to try and win the race that way.

"He was loaded turning for home. He was enjoying himself and I think he enjoyed the soft ground." 

What a View, who runs for Finish Line Racing, The Ellwood Johnston Trust, Patsy Berumen, and Sal Berumen, was sent off at 6-1 in a field that scratched down to six with the stewards' removal of De Treville, who flipped in the post parade. He returned $14, $5.80, and $3.40, while favored Bolo brought $3.80 and $2.80 after he rallied for the place under Mike Smith.

"I think anybody that was going to lay close (to What a View) was just going to shoot themselves in the foot," Smith said. "To be honest, I think that helped us run second. If I had tried to lay close, I wouldn't have run second."

There was a stewards' inquiry into the stretch run involving third-place finisher Bal a Bali ($2.60) and fourth-place Midnight Storm, who were separated just a nose, but the stewards rulled no change. Kenjisstorm and Om completed the order of finish.

Final time for the mie turf event was 1:35.57 over a course rated good, after What a View set opening fractions of :22.65, :46.25, and 1:10.17. 

"The time is incredible because the turf has a tremendous amount of give in the ground," Desormeaux said. "For him to put that number up on the clock, he's a real racehorse."

What a View has rapidly improved the past eight months, from maiden winner last August at Del Mar to grade I winner today—the first grade I winner of Black's career. He was bred by Old English Rancho, Patsy Berumen & Sal Berumen out of the Manila mare Oceans N Mountains, and has five wins and two seconds from 11 starts for earnings of $532,148.