Cyberknife, 18th in Ky. Derby, bounces back in Matt Winn
Cyberknife, the 18th-place finisher May 7 in the Kentucky Derby, bounced back Sunday with a narrow win over the same Churchill Downs surface.
The Gun Runner colt fought nostril-to-nostril down the stretch with a dogged Howling Time, winning the Grade 3, $225,000 Matt Winn Stakes by a nose. He covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.98 under jockey Florent Geroux, returning $3 as the 1-2 favorite.
“I was hoping he would dominate, but that wasn’t the way it worked out,” trainer Brad Cox said from the Churchill Downs winner’s circle on the track’s video feed. “I guess he had his head down when it counted.
“He’s a horse that we’re hoping will take the next step. He still has some work to do. He’s a very talented horse. Very, I guess, lucky to come out on the winning end of that.”
Cyberknife asserted himself as the leader of Cox’s 3-year-olds April 2 with an Arkansas Derby (G1) triumph at Oaklawn Park. He threw Geroux that day in the post parade but got down to business when the gates opened, taking command around the far turn and beating runner-up Barber Road by 2 3/4 lengths.
In the Kentucky Derby, Cyberknife tracked a blistering early pace before being shuffled wide into the turn. He sank all the way to 18th, crossing ahead of only Pioneer of Medina and Summer Is Tomorrow.
The Matt Winn offered Cyberknife class relief off back-to-back Grade 1 starts. His primary rivals, both at 4-1, were former Kentucky Derby trail runners Howling Time and Rattle N Roll.
Howling Time went to the front under jockey Joe Talamo for trainer Dale Romans. He showed the field through fractions of 24.19, 47.81 and 1:11.51.
Cyberknife was alongside and to the outside of Howling Time turning for home. They remained that way for the duration of the stretch, bumping at one point, before hitting the wire almost simultaneously.
A photo finish showed Cyberknife as the slimmest of winners ahead of Howling Time.
"You can't get a more brutal beat than that," Talamo said.
Rattle N Roll was six lengths back in third place, marking his fifth straight defeat since winning the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) last October at Keeneland.
Cyberknife improved his record Sunday to 8: 4-2-0 with $996,520 earned for owner Gold Square.
Cox did not identify a next-race target for Cyberknife, such as the $1 million Haskell Stakes (G1) on July 23 at Monmouth Park or the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga one week later. The trainer won the 2021 Matt Winn with Fulsome, who stayed closer to home that summer for the Indiana Derby (G3).
“Look, he won, and (Howling Time) is a nice horse as well, had a nice win over this track (in a May 21 allowance race) earlier this meet,” Cox said. “I think we’re going to have to take another step forward to be competitive at the Grade 1 level.”