It was the second Atto Mile win for Sam-Son and trainer Mark Frostad, who were awarded the 1999 renewal with Quiet Resolve, after Hawksley Hill was disqualified. For Soaring Free and Kabel, the victory was truly sweet, after the pair had finished a game second in last year's Atto, caught near the wire by Touch of the Blues.
On Sunday, there was no catching the homebred five-year-old son of Smart Strike. Soaring Free, the 2-1 choice, shot out of the gate like a bullet, taking charge from the outside post 11. However, he was immediately challenged by Stronach Stables' Royal Regalia and jockey Jono Jones. The pair loped along through leisurely early fractions, as least for these quality milers, with a quarter in :23.48, the half in :46.01. The pace quickened as the pair approached the far turn and after getting six furlongs in 1:09.19, the race turned into an all-out sprint to the wire. Soaring Free held a length advantage in mid-stretch but couldn't draw clear, as first Royal Regalia fought back on the inside, then Perfect Soul, with Corey Nakatani aboard, came flying on the outside, after being second-last turning for home. At the wire, though, the red and gold silks of Sam-Son had prevailed, while the Roger Attfield-trained Perfect Soul, who made up a tonne of ground through the stretch, was up in the last jump to head Royal Regalia for the place award.
"It's a tremendous feat, it's nice to be part of the Samuel team," said Kabel, Woodbine's leading rider and runaway stakes leader (now with 29 wins), but celebrating his first Atto triumph. "He's a lot more mature this year. He's not getting excited in the races like he was last year. This year, he's just all business, lets you do whatever you want with him. Like I said, he was just all horse today."
The Atto was Soaring Free's fifth win in a row, all at Woodbine, as he proved he belongs with the best milers. He'll likely head next to the Breeders' Cup Mile at Lone Star Park in Texas in late October, a race in which he finished fifth last year at Santa Anita after setting most of the pace.
Results chart from Daily Racing Form
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