Caller One Put on Hold as Kona Gold Wins Again

Nine jumps before the wire, Alex Solis had already hit Kona Gold 12 times from the right side.

Kona Gold pushed his nose in front of Caller One.

Three jumps from the wire, Solis raised his whip again Sunday, not to again strike the 7-year-old gelding but for a victory flourish.

“I just love this horse to death,” Solis said after Kona Gold’s victory by three-fourths of a length in the $200,000 Bing Crosby Breeders’ Cup Handicap. Trainer Bruce Headley’s horse has won seven in a row and this victory, worth $120,000, pushed him over the $2-million mark for owners Headley, Irwin and Andrew Molasky and Michael Singh.

Kona Gold became the first back-to-back winner of the Crosby since Cherry River in 1976-77. His time Sunday for the six furlongs was 1:08 1/5, a fifth of a second faster than last year.

“I’m so proud of him,” said Solis, who has ridden Kona Gold for all but his first of 20 starts and for all of the horse’s 11 wins. “He’s the best I’ve ever ridden, and I’ve ridden some good ones like Snow Chief, Bertrando and Dixie Union.”

Caller One, fourth when Kona Gold won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last year at Churchill Downs, sewing up the Eclipse Award for sprinting, finished a half-length ahead of Swept Overboard, who was five lengths clear of the only other horse, Hollycombe. Ceeband and Freespool were scratched as their trainers opted for easier spots. Kona Gold, who’s been odds-on in all but one of the races in his winning streak, paid $3.80.

Breaking from the inside post under Corey Nakatani, Caller One was three lengths ahead of Kona Gold down the backstretch. The gray colt, Swept Overboard, kept Kona Gold company and even briefly edged ahead of him for a few strides. The fractions for the first half-mile were :22 and :44 1/5.

Caller One covered the five furlongs in a blazing :55 4/5, but at the top of the stretch Kona Gold had shaken off Swept Overboard and was on the move.

“At the eighth pole, it looked like the horse ahead of me was getting tired,” Solis said. “My horse started wearing him down.”

Kona Gold carried 126 pounds, two more than Caller One.

“That’s a lot of weight, and when you go into a race looking for seven in a row, there’s a lot of pressure,” Headley said. “Caller One’s a great horse too. He’s very fast, and maybe being on the rail hurt him this time.”

After last year’s Crosby, Kona Gold ran only one more time--in the Ancient Title Handicap at Santa Anita--before winning the Breeders’ Cup. Headley hopes to do the same thing this year, with the Sprint scheduled for Belmont Park on Oct. 27.

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Trainer Darrell Vienna won his second Del Mar stake in as many days when he saddled Above Perfection, the 7-10 favorite, in the $100,000 Fleet Treat Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Above Perfection’s victory, her fourth in five starts for owners David and Rita Milch, came less than 24 hours after Vienna won the $400,000 Ramona Handicap with 15-1 shot Janet.

Above Perfection, paying $3.40 after running seven furlongs in 1:22 4/5, rebounded from her only loss, which came by a neck against the formidable Extra Heat in the Prioress at Belmont Park on July 4.

“This filly has had a tough month, what with them taking her back to New York and all,” said jockey Gary Stevens, who won the Fleet Treat for the fourth time. “She was more hyper going to the gate today than I would have liked. So I took a hold of her and got her to settle. I gave her a breather on the turn and it was a good thing I did.”

Lighten Up Tiny, ridden by Tyler Baze, almost caught Above Perfection, missing by a head at the wire. Lighten Up Tiny had won her two previous starts, both at Hollywood Park.

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Another trainer who had a banner weekend was Todd Pletcher, who won Sunday’s $600,300 Delaware Handicap with the 18-1 shot Irving’s Baby on the heels of his victory Saturday with Tweedside in the $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park.

Irving’s Baby, ridden by Ramon Dominguez, had never run in a graded stake before her 3 3/4-length victory over Under The Rug. Lazy Slusan, the well-regarded shipper from California, ran third and Jostle was fourth.

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Torrential rains in the Chicago area made Arlington Park’s turf course soft and Fan Club’s Mister, ridden by Randy Meier, won the $250,000 American Derby. Fan Club’s Mister was 18-1 and the second-place finisher, Monsieur Cat, was 25-1. The 6-5 favorite, Royal Spy, ran third and Sligo Bay, at 7-5 under Laffit Pincay, was fourth.