Kobe's Back drills for Churchill Downs Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Kobe’s Back, the dominant sprinter in Southern California this year, worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds at Santa Anita on Saturday, moving closer to a scheduled start in the $500,000 Churchill Downs Stakes in Kentucky on May 7.

Kobe’s Back was ridden by jockey Iggy Puglisi, who was substituting for Gary Stevens, who was booked to ride at Keeneland on Saturday.

Puglisi never asked Kobe’s Back, riding the 5-year-old horse steadily in a solo exercise. Trainer Peter Eurton timed Kobe’s Back in 1:00.20, with a six-furlong gallop-out time of 1:13.20.

“Gary and [Iggy] had a nice talk,” Eurton said. “Gary said he’s deceptive. You’ll think he’s going much slower.”

Owned by Lee and Susan Searing, Kobe’s Back has won 5 of 18 starts and earned $952,250. Kobe’s Back has been in the best form of his career this season, winning two Grade 2 races at Santa Anita – the $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs on Feb. 7 and the $301,035 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs on March 12.

The Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes is run at seven furlongs and will be the first start outside of California for Kobe’s Back since a seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland last October.