El Kabeir Just Lasts in Kentucky Jockey Club

Zayat Stables' El Kabeir went straight to the front and lasted just long enough Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs, holding off late-closing grade III winner Imperia to win the $233,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) by a head .

The 2-year-old Florida-bred son of Scat Daddy   took the 1 1/16-mile contest on a fast track in 1:44.82 after leading 10 juvenile rivals throughout at odds of 7-1. Jockey Calvin Borel was in the irons for trainer John Terranova II, who shipped in from New York after the gray or roan colt's runner-up finish Nov. 2 under Irad Ortiz Jr. in the Nashua Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

"He ran on a real deep and tiring track that day in the Nashua and ran into a real strong head wind up the backstretch and got a little keen with Irad up the backstretch with the blinkers on first time, so I pulled those right off," Terranova said. "I went easy for the first couple of weeks because he was a little tired after that last race. He was a lighter colt and he's put on weight and looked good so I got a good work in him the other day, so I decided to ship him down here to see how he handled the two turns."

Terranova said the 1 1/16 miles of the Kentucky Jockey Club appealed to him more than the 1 1/8 miles of the Remsen Stakes (gr. II) run in New York on the same day.

"A mile-and-an-eighth to a mile-and-a-sixteenth here," he explained. "We just thought we'd ship to see how he shipped, first time going on the road. He's a real talented colt. He's just a little bit trying to find his balance."

Under equal weights of 122 pounds, El Kabeir clicked along through opening fractions of :23.62 and :47.50 while widening to a 2 1/2-length lead with Sky Hero and Lucky Player in pursuit.

El Kabeir got three-quarters in 1:12.48 and looked as if he might give way through a 1:38 mile, as Imperia loomed after rolling off the turn with a strong bid from far back. But the Zayat colt found something extra under stout right-handed encouragement from Borel, and slipped under the line to his first graded stakes win.

"At the finish I knew it was getting tight because he had never been this far and the track is a little heavy," Borel said. "With everything put together it was a matter of who could out-grind the other one."

The victor returned $16.60, $7.40, and $5.60 while 5-2 Imperia brought $4.60 and $3.20 in his dirt debut; the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee won the Pilgrim Stakes (gr. IIIT) Sept. 28 at Belmont Park. Eagle, who was three parts of a lengths behind the first two ar the wire, paid $5.60 at odds of 8-1.

"One more jump and he had it, but he ran great and we're tickled with the way he ran," McLaughlin said of Imperia. "We belong with the 3-year-olds moving forward to the first Saturday in May."

International Star, 7-5 favorite Lord Nelson, Flashaway, Lucky Player, Sky Hero, Majestico, War Point, and Jumpin Frac Flash completed the order of finish. 

After bobbling at the break, Lord Nelson was far back early and was seven paths wide rounding the final turn before making a mild bid in the stretch.

Moonlight Bandit scratched.

Bred by Rustlewood Farm out of the Unbridled's Song mare Great Venue, El Kabeir was a $250,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s 2013 August yearling sale when consigned by Summerfield. Patrice Miller of EQB signed the ticket. The winner's share of the Kentucky Jockey Club purse increased his career earnings to $268,892 for a 2-1-1 record from five starts.

The Kentucky Jockey Club is a qualifying race on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), and gave El Kabeir 10 points toward a spot in the starting gate in 2015. The second- through fourth-place finishers earned points toward the Derby on a 4-2-1 scale.