Eight went to post in the Grade 3 McKnight Handicap on Saturday. Eight-year-old gelding Steel Kelp was a slight favorite over Pinstripes Proud, a four-year-old colt looking for his first stakes win. Steel Kelp, on the other hand, was a seasoned veteran with 52 starts to his credit. And with nearly half of his lifetime earnings coming in 2016, he shows no sign of slowing down. This would be his first start for new owner, John Henry.
But these two were not the only contenders. Dogs Infowarrior came into the race off of disappointing performances at Grade 1 level, the most recent in the BC Classic where he finished 13th. But prior to that, he won the Whitney (Grade 1) and made it look relatively easy. Mean Street was on fire with a streak of in-the-money finishes that went all the way back to November 2015 and included a track record setting win in the Bowling Green Handicap (Grade 2) two starts back. Throw out that last performance and you have another contender. He carried high weight at 123 lbs, giving away as much as six pounds.
In the end, it was Steel Kelp getting back on track with a wire-to-wire win in a time just a fraction of a second shy of the track record.
They came out of the gate on the backstretch and Sri Lanka showed the way early with Mean Street tracking him to the inside and Dogs Infowarrior and Steel Kelp just behind him. But by the time they hit the quarter mile mark, it was Steel Kelp charging to the lead with Mean Street pressing him from the inside. Sri Lanka held on to third with Dogs Infowarrior and Super Charger finishing off the first group. Two lengths behind them, Pinstripes Proud, Happy B Da and Spotted Cat rounded out the field.
Around the turn for the first time, Steel Kelp opened up by a length with Mean Street still right there in second on the rail. The gap between the front group and the trailers widened to three.
Under the wire for the first time, Steel Kelp led the field by 1 ½ lengths. At the back of the pack, Spotted Cat made a big move from last to sixth on the far outside. Around the turn, Steel Kelp widened the lead to 2 lengths. Sri Lanka rallied but couldn’t get past Mean Street. The Dogs Infowarrior and Super Charger lost ground leaving Pinstripes Proud with nowhere to run.
Spotted Cat finally drew even with Super Charger as the field neared the far turn for the second time. Pinstripes Proud looked for room between the two but was forced to swing wide going into the turn.
Into the stretch, Steel Kelp held on to a length lead. Mean Street, Sri Lanka and Spotted Cat made their run. Pinstripes Proud lost ground on the turn and by the time they straightened out, he was in the middle of the track.
They were four across the track in the shadow of the wire with Steel Kelp holding on to a short lead. Spotted Cat and Mean Street ran stride for stride in second. At the wire, it was Steel Kelp with Spotted Cat getting past Mean Street for second.
It was the first start and the first win of the year for Steel Kelp and the first start for new stable John Henry who just earned back the $17.770 auction price and much more! His career record stands at 53-12-15-11 $1,068.340. The eight-year-old son of Steel Ball scored a career high 103 SRF.
Order of Finish
Steel Kelp (John Henry) – Took the lead early and held it throughout the race.
Spotted Cat (Blushing Meadows) – Came from last to finish second by ¼ length.
Mean Street (Nakamura Stables) – Stalked the leader throughout and finished a close third.
Sri Lanka (Hawaiian Shirt Guy) – Made a move in the stretch to finish fourth by less than a length.
Super Charger (Maximillion Farm) – Fifth place all the way. Cut the margin from five to one length.
Happy B Day (Night Rider Stables) – Tried to find running room late but never got a clear path.
Pinstripes Proud (Aer Stables) – Traffic problems forced him wide on the final turn. Never a factor.
Dogs Infowarrior (Grimley) – Close early but faded to finish last.
CONGRATULATIONS JOHN HENRY!
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
