Hunt trying to prove himself anew in Kilroe Mile

ARCADIA, Calif. – More than nine months have passed since Hunt won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on Memorial Day weekend. Hunt has failed to replicate that form in three subsequent starts, and trainer Phil D’Amato is hoping Hunt will once again show his best in Saturday’s Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita.

“He’s definitely got to show the form he showed last year,” D’Amato said on Sunday. “He shows it in his breezes. I was very happy with his last two.”

Owned by Michael House, Hunt has won five stakes in the last three years, with the Shoemaker the lone Grade 1. Last summer, Hunt was last of 10 in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes and sixth in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile in consecutive starts before being rested for the remainder of the year.

In his comeback in the Clocker’s Corner Stakes on the hillside turf course on Jan. 27, Hunt raced at the back of the field throughout. He finished seventh, 10 lengths behind Conquest Tsunami, who won by 4 1/4 lengths.

“We tried to make the downhill race a prep for this race,” D’Amato said. “Conquest freaked. At least it was a good work for this race.”

Hunt is one of nine stakes winners among 10 horses expected for the Kilroe Mile. Of the other candidates, Blended Citizen, Caribou Club, Catapult, Delta Prince, Next Shares, Ohio, River Boyne, and True Valour have also won stakes. Desert Stone has yet to win a stakes, but was second in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile and third in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby last year.

Hunt will have a new rider in the Kilroe. His regular rider Flavien Prat is booked on River Boyne. D’Amato said he would decide on a rider in the middle of the week. Monday, River Boyne worked five furlongs on the infield training track in 1:03.80

Next Shares, the winner of the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last October, worked a half-mile on turf in 47 seconds for trainer Richard Baltas, who also worked the 3-year-old filly Colonial Creed on turf in 47.60 seconds. Colonial Creed will start in Saturday’s China Doll Stakes at a mile on turf.

Turf workouts are rare at Santa Anita. Baltas said he requested the chance to work those two horses in advance of Saturday’s races.

“They let me on, and that was nice of them,” Baltas said of Santa Anita management.

Mike Smith was aboard Next Shares for the turf workout and will have the mount on Saturday, Baltas said.