Kirstenbosch becomes Breeders' Cup contender with Chillingworth victory

ARCADIA, Calif. – Kirstenbosch ran herself into the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint with a last-to-first upset victory Friday in the Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes on opening day of the fall meet at Santa Anita.

Under a cool ride from Hector Berrios and benefitting from a blistering pace, stretch-running Kirstenbosch ($15) blew past runner-up Clearly Unhinged in deep stretch to win the 6 1/2-furlong Chillingworth by 1 3/4 lengths. Odds-on favorite Eda finished third.

Owned and bred by Keith Abrahams, and trained by John Sadler, Kirstenbosch ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.37 over a surface that produced fast times on opening day of the Santa Anita autumn meet. The clocking earned a 90 Beyer Figure and a berth in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint over the same track on Nov. 4.

“It’s not the distance with her, it’s the setup,” Sadler said. “She finally got the setup she wanted. She always puts in a good late run.”

The win was the second Grade 3 for Kirstenbosch, a 4-year-old filly by Midnight Lute who has won four races and $521,480 from 17 starts. She previously won the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes, a Santa Anita route, in January.

Kirstenbosch will probably be an outsider in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint, but Sadler was unequivocal when asked if that would be her next start. “Yes, because it’s seven-eighths, and you might get a strong pace,” he said.

She got a hot pace Friday. Kirstenbosch was last early while front-runners Home Cooking, Elm Drive, and Clearly Unhinged dueled through an extreme pace. The opening quarter-mile was 21.66 and the half was 43.69. Turning for home, rail-tripper Clearly Unhinged shook off her pace rivals and briefly appeared to be home free. But the pace took its toll, and Kirstenbosch was rolling.

Berrios saved ground through the turn, angled Kirstenbosch wide into the stretch, and ran away late. Clearly Unhinged ran super in defeat, and stamped herself an early contender for the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies usually run opening day of the Santa Anita winter meet.

Eda, the 3-5 favorite, lost for the first time in two years, ending her seven-race win streak and probably eliminating herself from Breeders’ Cup conversation.

Pick six handle robust

Bettors embraced the return of a traditional pick six on Friday, opening day of the Santa Anita fall meet, by wagering $190,206 on the $1 wager. The pool was more than double the 2022 fall opener pick six handle of $94,571 when the bet was 20 cents and included a single-ticket jackpot provision. The updated pick six format pays 70 percent of net pool to perfect tickets or carryover; 30 percent to consolations. Friday’s $1 pick six returned $5,348.20.

* Bettors wagered $78,244 into the $3 all-turf pick three on races 5, 7, and9. The $3 bet returned $495. The winners were Polito ($5.20), race 5; Aurelian Man ($11.20), race 7; and Belmont Bill ($7.40) in race 9.