KIP DEVILLE (Kipling), hero of the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) and runner-up
in last year’s edition, recorded his second work of the year on Friday,
breezing six furlongs over Gulfstream Park’s fast dirt in 1:15 4/5 under regular
jockey Cornelio Velasquez. The Richard Dutrow-trained six-year-old is gearing up
for his 2009 bow in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1) on February 1.
“‘Kip’ was on his game this morning,” Dutrow said of his charge, who was last
seen running ninth in the Hong Kong Mile (HK-G1) on December 14. “He didn’t have
any kind of a problem coming back (from Hong Kong). He came back in good shape
and we gave him a strong breeze at Aqueduct and he came back today the same way.
He hasn’t lost any of his weight from the trip. We’re very happy with him right
now.”
Dutrow had a simple answer for Kip Deville’s poor performance in the Far
East.
“We have to stay the heck out of Hong Kong and spend more time in Dubai,” he
said. “Kip didn’t like going the opposite way (right-hand turn) over there. We
trained him going that way and it seemed like he was getting it, but in the race
he just got in there and lost all interest.”
Back home on a left-handed course, Kip Deville is nearly cranked up for the
top turf event of the South Florida season. Dutrow is especially keen this year
with the distance of the race shortening to 1 1/8 miles from 1 3/8 miles.
“We certainly have to look at that race,” Dutrow said. “I would say with the
way he’s training right now, that would most likely be the way we would go, and
if he runs big, we could go over to Dubai for the mile race (Dubai Duty Free
[UAE-G1] at 1 1/8 miles) or go to Keeneland with him if we decide not to go over
there.”
Kip Deville defended his title in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland
while making his seasonal debut last year, and could go for a threepeat in 2009.