Kicken Kris makes it look easy

ELMONT, N.Y. - Kicken Kris towered over his seven rivals in the Lawrence Realization Handicap on paper, and he towered over them on the track as well.

Taking over from the pacesetting Carrier midway around the far turn, Kicken Kris cruised to an easier-than-it-looked three-quarter-length victory over Rowans Park in the Grade 3, $150,000 before 7,858 at Belmont Park. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Fortune Writers in third.

It was the second stakes victory in the last three races for Kicken Kris, who in August took the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park. Despite showing his prowess at 1 1/2 miles Saturday, Kicken Kris will not be pointed to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 25.

Trainer Michael Matz said Kicken Kris would be freshened and pointed to the Grade 1, $600,000 Hollywood Derby at Hollywood Park on Nov. 30.

Kicken Kris was the only stakes winner in the Lawrence Realization field. Matz thought Javier Castellano had Kicken Kris a little too close to the pace when he finished second to Stroll in last month's Jamaica Handicap. But Matz did not have that same problem with Castellano in the Lawrence Realization because the early pace was a painfully slow 50.25 seconds.

"Javier did a real good job because there was no pace," said Matz, who trains Kicken Kris for Elizabeth Moran's Brushwood Stable.

Castellano was cognizant of Matz's request to get Kicken Kris off the pace, and he had a tight hold of Kicken Kris early. Kicken Kris was 2 1/2 lengths off the pace after the first half-mile, but pulled within a head of Carrier after a mile run in 1:39.02.

"He was really close to the pace but I don't think it bothered him because he's got the same pace, the same stride. He never stops, he never tires," Castellano said. "He's not the kind of horse you got to come from behind with and make one big run."

Kicken Kris, a son of Kris S., covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:27.98 over firm turf and returned $3.10 as the 1-2 favorite.