Professional Sprinters Bring the Heat Late
There’s nothing better than watching a real professional sprinter who lags in the back for much of the race before uncoiling a crazy fast final quarter to get up for the win in a stakes race. Jenine Sahadi knows exactly what I mean. OK, maybe there are a few things better, but you must admit watching them do their thing is a thrilling proposition. It was shades of Lit de Justice and Elmhurst on both coasts yesterday, as two veteran sprinters kicked it into high gear late to add another graded stakes tally to their growing resumes. In case you haven’t been watching the past few years, Salutos Amigos and Kobe’s Back are two of America’s best sprinters, and yesterday was a glorious, last to first day for both.
Let’s start at the Mecca. If Salutos Amigo was peanut butter, the inner track at Aqueduct would be his jelly. Owned by Southern Equine Stables and trained by David Jacobsen, the six-year-old gelding has been unstoppable on the Big A’s winter surface. After a few second place finishes out in Southern California, the multiple graded stakes winner was back at his most favorite surroundings. Facing ten in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap, Salutos Amigos was respected down to 7-5 favoritism. Last on the far turn, though, it looked like this might not be his day.
Despite still being ninth at the three-sixteenth’s pole, things were looking a whole lot better for the son of Salute the Sarge. Resembling a just ignited bottle rocket, Salutos Amigos quickly, and without remorse for their feelings, demonstrated his complete authority over his Tom Fool competition. The 122 pound highweight went by them so fast that by the time he hit the wire, rider Cornelio Velazquez was standing in the irons, as if he needed a little help slowing down the Amigos Express.
With his second straight Tom Fool in the books, Salutos Amigos now boasts seven stakes wins in less than a year in a half. Still, I’m not sure that he was the best late running sprinter of the afternoon, for a few hours later, the horse that had beat him last time was doing his thing in front of the majestic San Gabriel Mountains.
Kobe’s Back has had his issues over the years, but at his best, his late kick is downright nasty, and nasty it was yesterday on Big Cap Day at Santa Anita. Known for slow starts, and fast finishes, it seems the Peter Eurton gray may finally be putting it all together. Now, that’s not to say that the five-year-old son of Flatter hasn’t always been good – he is a stakes winner in all four seasons on the track after all, but lately he is looking like a more professional runner. “It’s the best he’s ever broken (from the starting gate),” remarked his Hall of Fame rider, Gary Stevens regarding the start of the affair. Good break, or not, Kobe’s Back is most comfortable at the back of the pack, and so it was yesterday.
The Grade 2 San Carlos looked like it was up for grabs for much of the race, but when the real running began in the final eighth of a mile, only one horse was traveling in warp speed. Last into the far turn, Kobe’s Back was picking them up and laying them down, as they say.
It’s nice to see the grays run 1-2-3, but it is even nicer to see Kobe’s Back finish a race like that. That's two straight big ones from the silver streak. He’s going so well right now, look for him to take his chances against the champion, Runhappy at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. That’s looking a bit forward, but yesterday, I enjoyed looking back – back to the end of the field early, for last would become first.