Kallio outkicks heavy favorite Starship Jubilee to win Cardinal

Kallio outkicked Grade 1 winner and odds-on favorite Starship Jubilee in deep stretch to score a three-length victory in Thursday’s 46th running of the $175,000 Cardinal (G3) for fillies and mares on Thanksgiving Day at Churchill Downs.

Kallio, a 4-year-old filly owned by Madaket Stables (Sol Kumin and Jason Monteleone), Tim and Anna Cambron and Bradley Thoroughbreds (Peter R. Bradley III), ran 1 1/8 miles over “yielding” turf in 1:55.07 to collect the first graded stakes win of her career.

Tyler Gaffalione rode the winner for trainer Brendan Walsh. Earlier on the day, Gaffalione piloted Mylady Curlin to victory in the $300,000 Falls City (G2).

Breaking from post position No. 2 in the field of 11, Kallio was rated in eighth from the inside down the backstretch as Limari carved out a clear early lead through fractions of :24.58, :50.02 and 1:15.67. Starship Jubilee, the winner of the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine in her previous start, commenced her run with a four-wide move around the final turn, and Kallio, who swung to the outside, followed her every step of the way. The favorite took the lead at the top of the stretch but it was short-lived as Kallio relished the soft turf and collared Starship Jubilee just inside the final furlong to draw clear late.

“She’s seemed to run everywhere this year and keeps performing well" Gaffalione said. "I think she’s continuing to improve with age and she really stayed into the bit today. We were cruising in the stretch.”

“She’s a bit of a difficult filly," Walsh said. "She’s sometimes not always there mentally but when she puts things together she runs very well. She had a good setup today and seemed to have really relished the ground. She’s getting better with age.”

Previously, Kallio finished seventh, but was beaten only four lengths, in a $77,000 allowance over 1 1/16 miles on Keeneland’s turf course on Oct. 19. In August, Kallio won the $98,625 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf at Ellis Park. Kallio returned mutuels of $31.20, $7.20 and $5.80 at odds of 14-1.

Starship Jubilee, ridden by Luis Contreras, returned $3.20 and $2.80. Third-place finisher English Soul, under Declan Cannon, was another 1 ¾ lengths back in third and paid $10.60 to show.

The order of finish was completed by Stave, Smart Shot, Tweety Show, Limari, Area, Maroubra (FR), Notapradaprice and Cash Out. Smart Emma was scratched. Kallio is a daughter of the late stallion Scat Daddy out of the Dynaformer mare Smokey Diplomacy.