Kona Gold Is on Pace for Breeders’ Cup Sprint

If his work on Monday is any indication, Kona Gold is ready for his fifth consecutive start in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Three days before pre-entries are to be taken for the eight Breeders’ Cup races, which will be run at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago on Oct. 26, the 8-year-old gelding worked five furlongs in 58 2/5 at Santa Anita.

Owned in part by trainer Bruce Headley, Kona Gold, who won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint two years ago, will be trying for his 14th victory in his 25th start.

“He’s never been working this well,” said regular rider Alex Solis, who was aboard for the exercise. “He’s working out of this world. It’s so amazing how fast and how easily he is doing it.”

Hours later, Vindication, an unbeaten 2-year-old and one of the top contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, worked seven furlongs in 1:23 4/5. Trained by Bob Baffert, Vindication galloped out a mile in 1:37 with jockey Mark Smith riding.

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Trainer Bobby Frankel made it two stakes wins in three days when favored Kithira won the first division of the $83,300 Harold C. Ramser Sr. Handicap at Santa Anita.

Two days after Rolly Polly had scored a narrow win in the Sen. Ken Maddy Handicap, Kithira, a 3-year-old, English-bred filly and the 9-5 choice, wore down pacesetter and 5-2 second choice Super High to win by a head in 1:33 3/5 for the mile on turf.

About an hour earlier, Frankel, who is in New York, had won the $114,300 Pebbles Handicap at Belmont Park with 2-1 second choice Gila. In a race switched from turf to dirt because of recent wet weather, the 3-year-old A.P. Indy filly won by 3 1/4 lengths and completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49 3/5 under jockey Javier Castellano. Nonsuch Bay, the 9-5 second choice, was second in a field reduced to five starters.

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Kristin Mulhall, the 20-year-old daughter of Richard Mulhall, a former trainer and the current racing manager for the Thoroughbred Corp., earned her first stakes win as a trainer when lukewarm Sentimental Value ($8) took the second division of the Ramser, which had a purse of $84,300.

The 3-year-old Diesis filly stalked the early pace set by longshot Shezasummerbreeze, took control into the stretch and won by two lengths in 1:33 4/5. She was ridden by Victor Espinoza.