Kip Deville honored in Oklahoma again

Kip Deville, the winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Mile, is once again a hero in his home state of Oklahoma. For the second straight year he has been named horse of the year by the Oklahoma Thoroughbred Association. The honor was announced during the OTA's annual awards banquet at Remington Park last Saturday.

Kip Deville, recognized for his racing season of 2007, also captured last year's Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita and the Grade 2 Maker's Mark at Keeneland. In his most recent start, Kip Deville won the Grade 3 Poker at Belmont Park on July 13 with a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 109. He is expected to make his next start in the $1 million Woodbine Mile, a Grade 1 turf race in Canada on Sept. 7.

Kip Deville has earned $2.6 million to date to rank as the all-time richest accredited Oklahoma-bred. Lady's Secret, an earner of more than $3 million and the 1986 Horse of the Year, was foaled in Oklahoma in 1982, but was not an accredited Oklahoma-bred because the program was not in effect at that time, said R.D. Logan, executive director of the OTA.

Kip Deville is a son of Kipling, who now stands in Kentucky. His dam is the stakes winner Klondike Kaytie. He was bred by Dr. Warren Center, who was recognized as the OTA's leading breeder for 2007. Kip Deville races for a partnership led by IEAH Stables, and he is trained by Rick Dutrow Jr.