Cyberknife noses Howling Time in Matt Winn Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Cyberknife kicked off the second season for 3-year-olds with a nose victory over Howling Time in the Grade 3, $225,000 Matt Winn Stakes on Sunday afternoon at Churchill Downs.
Heavily favored Cyberknife ($3) won the Arkansas Derby in April, but faded to 18th in the Kentucky Derby after stalking the early pace, which included the fastest opening quarter-mile in Derby history.
In the Matt Winn, Cyberknife and jockey Florent Geroux stalked a more moderate opening pace, sitting in second as Howling Time, who was briefly under consideration for the Belmont Stakes off a front-running local allowance victory, ticked off splits of 24.19 seconds for the quarter, and 47.81 for the half.
Cyberknife began to inch up on his foe around the far turn, with Geroux still not having asked for his best, and the two colts were heads apart coming into the stretch, both well off the rail with Howling Time on the inside. The two colts drove together the length of the stretch, with Cyberknife prevailing by a nose at the wire.
“He broke a little slow but I was able to get him into a good position,” Geroux said. “He was traveling well and [Howling Time] was really game on my inside. We were battling the whole stretch. I couldn’t tell which one of us won, but I’m glad it was Cyberknife.”
The top two had separated themselves from the field, with Rattle N Roll, a Grade 1 winner last year as a juvenile, another six lengths back in third.
The final time for the 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track was 1:41.98 for Cyberknife, a Gun Runner colt who is trained by Brad Cox for Gold Square LLC.
Earlier on the card, Wicked Halo ($6.20) turned the tables on Pretty Birdie to win the $160,000 Leslie’s Lady Overnight Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Both Pretty Birdie and Wicked Halo were graded stakes winners as juveniles at Saratoga, winning the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes and Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes, respectively. Pretty Birdie had bested her foe twice this year, winning Oaklawn’s Purple Martin Stakes as Wicked Halo finished third and running second in the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill as Wicked Halo again finished third. The winner of that event, Matareya, won the Grade 1 Acorn on Saturday at Belmont.
In the Leslie’s Lady, Wicked Halo, with leading rider Tyler Gaffalione in the irons, stalked Pretty Birdie through the opening half in 45.41 seconds, never more than half a length behind. The two set down for a long drive approaching the top of the stretch and, while Pretty Birdie was game, Wicked Halo got her measure late and powered clear in the final yards to win by 2 3/4 lengths. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:22.61.
“We were able to sit a nice trip right off of Pretty Birdie,” Gaffalione said. “My filly was very composed early on into the race and when I asked her to get closer around the turn she stayed right with [Pretty Birdie] and was able to kick clear in the stretch.”
After Pretty Birdie, it was 6 1/2 lengths back to Sweet as Pie in third.
Wicked Halo, a homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds, is also from the record-setting first crop of champion Gun Runner. She is trained by Steve Asmussen, who also conditioned her sire for Winchell and Three Chimneys.