Pat O'Brien: Stevens chooses Giant Expectations over Kobe's Back
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has been on the back of Kobe’s Back for 14 of the last 15 in 24 lifetime starts for the 6-year-old, Kentucky-bred son of Flatter. All but one since Kobe’s Back came to the barn of trainer Peter Eurton two years ago, with the most recent race being a fourth-place finish in the Grade I $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes a month ago.
Stevens was aboard Giant Expectations for the first time in the 4-year-old New York-bred’s ninth career start, a runner-up effort in an optional claimer with a $40,000 purse here on July 19.
And when Eurton chose to enter both Kobe’s Back and Giant Expectations in Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 Pat O’Brien, the second major sprint stakes of the summer meeting and a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $1 million Las Vegas Dirt Mile here on Friday, November 3, Stevens chose to ride Giant Expectations. Flavien Prat has the mount on Kobe’s Back.
“It wasn’t easy,” Stevens said Thursday morning. “I’ve ridden Kobe so many times, and his last race was good. I think, in talking to the owner, Mr. (Lee) Searing, that this will probably be his last season, and sometimes a rider change will shake things up a little bit.
“Giant Expectations is four years old, he’s just coming into his own and I think he’s got a huge future ahead of him. It’s a tough race for him, but I think he can be competitive. Kobe’s one of my favorites of all time, but sometimes you’ve got to make tough decisions.”
Kobe’s Back took the Grade II San Vicente at Santa Anita in 2014 under Joel Rosario and the Grade III Commonwealth at Keeneland in 2015 in Stevens’ second time aboard. The gray sprinter opened the 2016 campaign with back-to-back scores in the Grade II Palos Verdes and Grade II San Carlos at Santa Anita under Stevens but is winless in six starts since.
He’s earned more than $1.1 million lifetime, but is 0-for-4 at Del Mar from three starts in the Bing Crosby and one in the Pat O’Brien. A common thread throughout the career of Kobe’s Back is slow starts.
“That’s just Kobe, that’s his (modus operandi),” Stevens said. “The few times he has broke well from the gate he hasn’t run well. But his last race was definitely on the right track and I look for him to run a big race too.
“Some horses get used to a rider and I think maybe they get a little bored sometimes. Kobe knows all my tricks and I know his, and maybe changing a rider can shake a horse up.
“I learned that when I was a kid. My father told me and my brother, ‘I’m not going to keep you on every horse I put you on and it’s your job to know when a shake-up might do some good.’ I’ve taken pride in saying ‘Look, this horse isn’t giving me his best, and I don’t think I’ve been getting the best out of Kobe, for whatever reason.”
The field from the rail: Moe Candy (Victor Espinoza, 6-1), Solid Wager (Martin Pedroza, 20-1 ), Mr. Hinx (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1), Silent Bird (Kent Desormeaux, 5-1), Blameitonthelaw (Evin Roman, 12-1), Kobe’s Back (Flavien Prat, 6-1), Calculator (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), Danzing Candy (Joe Talamo, 8-5), Home Run Kitten (Brice Blanc, 20-1), Giant Expectations (Gary Stevens, 12-1) and Denman’s Call (Tyler Baze, 12-1).
Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club