Ransom the Moon Steps Up in Kona Gold

Ransom the Moon stepped up in class May 20 when he took the $200,000 Kona Gold Stakes (G2) by 2 1/4 lengths in his first stakes attempt. 

In the 6 1/2-furlong test over a fast track at Santa Anita Park, the Phil D'Amato trainee raced in sixth early in the race before going five wide on the turn and easily opening up on his competition in the stretch. 

"Every time I put him on the dirt, he trained like a good horse," D'Amato said of Agave Racing Stable and Jeffry Wilke's 5-year-old son of Malibu Moon   who made his first start for his current connections in April, previously racing on the all weather track and turf at Woodbine. 

"More often than not with turf horses, they'll train well on the dirt, but in the afternoon, they get lost out there," he said. "This horse is just getting better and better. Today, he sat behind those horses and kicked away. He won the right way, like a good horse should."

Moe Candy hustled out of the gate, but his lead didn't last long as Kentuckian got through on the inside to take over as the first quarter-mile went in :22.34. Lord Simba, the 8-5 favorite, and Eastwood raced tightly in third and fourth to the outside of Moe Candy and pressed the pace. Moe Candy briefly took over with a half-mile going in :44.90, then jockey Flavien Prat asked Ransom the Moon to make a move from fifth, five lengths off the leader, around the turn. 

Sent five wide around the tiring front runners, Ranson the Moon came into the middle of the track and showed a strong turn of foot to kick away from eight rivals and stop the clock in 1:15.12. Moe Candy finished second, a half-length ahead of Lord Simba in third. Kobe's Back was another 3 3/4 lengths back in fourth. 

Calculator, Eastwood, Kentuckian, and Touched by Autism completed the order of finish. 

"Last time he was really high before the race—with the pony, going to the gate—and he didn't stand well in the gate either," Prat said. "He ran well that day—he won, but he's definitely improved a lot from that last race.

"He was much better today. He was more focused. He broke well and then he settled really nicely down the backside and around the turn. Once I asked, he made a nice move."

Off at odds of 7-2, Ransom the Moon returned $9.80, $5.20, and $3.20 across the board. 

Bred by Sam-Son Farm in Ontario, Ransom the Moon is out of Count to Three, a graded stakes placed daughter of Red Ransom. He now boasts a 4-5-1 record from 17 starts, with earnings of $290,829. 

The bay runner entered the Kona Gold off a 4 1/2-length win in an April 30 allowance optional claiming race, also at 6 1/2 furlongs, where he raced closer to the pace, took control after a half-mile, and drew clear in the stretch. He previosly raced in the colors of his breeder for trainer Malcolm Pierce. In 2016, he was winless but never finished worse than fourth in six starts over the all-weather track and turf at Woodbine.