Kilwin comes off the bench to take Twin Bridges
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Kilwin returned from a long layoff looking just as good as the filly who won the Test Stakes last summer, rolling to a 2 1/4-length victory in the $175,000 Twin Bridges Stakes on Sunday at Ellis Park.
Sent off third choice at 3-1 despite a 2-for-2 record on dirt that included victory in the Grade 1 Test in August, Kilwin sat last of six under Edgar Morales for the first half-mile of the six-furlong Twin Bridges, a dirt race for older fillies and mares. Morales picked out 8-5 favorite Cash Call to follow at the quarter pole, trailing her to the top of the stretch before splitting Cash Call and Jersey Pearl while at least five paths from the fence. Kilwin kicked hard, collared Cash Call just past the furlong grounds, and drew away to a convincing victory in her first start since Sept. 6.
Her victory completed a plan executed to perfection by trainer Rusty Arnold, who entered Kilwin and another layoff horse, Echo Sound, in both the Twin Bridges and the Regret on Saturday at Monmouth Park. Echo Sound romped in the Regret, winning by more than seven lengths.
Kilwin scored by a lesser margin but beat higher-quality competition: Cash Call, who finished second, won the Grade 3 Summertime Oaks last year and was coming off a smart third-level Churchill Downs allowance win, but neither she nor four others that ran proved any match for Kilwin. Evanescence came between horses with a run in upper stretch but couldn’t kick with Kilwin and settled for third, a neck out of second. In addition to Echo Sound, One Magic Philly, Pistol, and Tapit Quick were scratched.
Kilwin clocked 1:09.12 over a fast track and paid $8.36. Arnold trains the 4-year-old for BBN Racing and Rick Howard, and Kilwin, by Twirling Candy out of Spanish Star, by Blame, appears to have found a home on dirt after beginning her career as a competent turf horse. Nagging hind-end problems took her out of training early last fall and again early this spring after Kilwin had logged several timed workouts, but Arnold said earlier this week that Kilwin seemed to have gotten past those issues, and on Sunday, the filly went out and proved her trainer correct.
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