Kake’s Arrow hits mark on turf
LAUREL, MD – Move over Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders.
Mission North might be the next two-sport superstar.
After dominating two steeplechase events by a combined 31 lengths, Mission North cut back 1 ½ miles in distance, moved to the flat, and steamrolled a good field in Sunday’s featured seventh race, a $48,000 state-sired allowance for 3-year-olds and upward at eight furlongs on turf.
Trained by Hall of Famer Jack Fisher for Mike Hankin’s Northwoods Stable, Mission North received a lovely ride by Forest Boyce, tracking in between horses while racing in the second flight as Joe the Jet set splits of 23.02 and 47.66 seconds while pressed by favored Coringa.
Mission North followed Coringa’s live cover after six furlongs in 1:12.19, eased three wide into the stretch, then raced his final quarter in 22.19 seconds to win by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:34.82 over the firm turf course.
Coringa finished a game second, 5 ¼ lengths ahead of Thataway. Then came Mission Artemis, King’s River, Joe the Jet, and Elusive Image. Main Track Only entrants Mr Jefferson and Carvellian Quest scratched.
Mission North returned $4.80 to win as the second choice in the wagering.
“He’s a homebred,” Hankin said. “We ran him on the jumps because many of our horses are steeplechase. We brought him back [this year], and he learned to be a racehorse. He likes what he’s doing. Moving him back and forth keeps him interested. They do that a lot overseas. He’s really learned to relax. Frankly, running over 2 1/8 [miles] helped him relax, too.”
Maryland-bred Mission North is a 4-year-old gelding by Noble Mission from a European turf family. His third dam, Sleepytime, won the English 1,000 Guineas in 1997.
A 2021 inductee into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Fisher is a 15-time champion trainer on the National Steeplechase Association circuit.
Fisher-trained horses include millionaires Good Night Shirt and Snap Decision. The latter captured the 2024 Eclipse Award as champion steeplechase horse.
*Kake’s Arrow hits mark on turf
If this whole jockey thing doesn’t work out, Jaime Rodriguez can make a living singing lullabies, for he tucked them in and put them to sleep aboard pacesetting Kake’s Arrow in Sunday’s third race at Laurel Park, a $49,000 first-level allowance for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
On paper, Kake’s Arrow looked like the controlling speed, and he moved clear early to drop down relaxed fractions of 24.53 and 49.25 seconds while lightly prompted by Santa Anita invader Into It.
Kake’s Arrow had Into It off the bridle sprinting for home after six furlongs in 1:12.89, then had plenty left in the tank to score by 4 ½ lengths in 1:41.82.
Into It held second from late-running Cocktails At Noon. Hold Out, Vax a Nation, Missionaire, Hanksdiviningrod, and Jus Too Fly completed the order of finish.
Kake’s Arrow paid $4.20 to win.
“Once we took the lead on the first turn, he pricked his ears forward,” Rodriguez said. “He was so comfortable. Once he got on the backstretch and changed leads, [Into It] got next to me, and he gave me another little kick. The more I held him, the more he wanted to go. I waited for the moment to let him loose. Once we got to the quarter pole, he changed leads and exploded.”
Favored in the eight-horse field, Kake’s Arrow made his first start for trainer Jamie Ness after being claimed for $25,000 out of a winning effort on May 3 for Darryl Abramowitz’s DEA Racing.
Bred in Kentucky by J-5 Equestrian, Kake’s Arrow is a 5-year-old gelding by Arrogate out of stakes-placed turf router Charm City Girl by Pioneerof the Nile. Her third dam, Tout Charmant, was a multiple Grade 1 winner routing on turf.
Kake’s Arrow began his career for trainer Michael Matz. Last year, Brittany Russell claimed him as a four-start maiden for $45,000. He won three of four races for that barn before being taken by Ness.
*Around the track:
Live racing resumes Monday for a special Memorial Day program. First post is 12:10 ET with two “Value Pick 5” wagers featuring a low 12% takeout rate…Weber City Miss winner Complexity Jane, scratched from Pimlico’s Hilltop Stakes on May 16 after unseating jockey Sheldon Russell in the post parade, breezed a half-mile in 51.40 seconds this morning at Laurel Park for trainer Brittany Russell…Jackstown, third in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby last summer and a recent transfer to the Russell stable, breezed a half-mile in 49.80…Registration remains open until June 1 for the “Charm City Challenge,” a free online handicapping contest where players make selections on the last five races of each Laurel Park card during this meet. If a player picks the winner in all five legs on any single racing program, that contestant will win or share in the $1,000 bonus. Based on the popular “Pick and Pray” handicapping tournaments, the “Charm City Challenge” offers cash prizes to the contestant with the highest cumulative bankroll for the entire Laurel Park meeting. For more information, click here..
