The outsider Kettle Corn took the Grade 3 Native Diver as his first stakes win of any kind
Returning to Hollywood Park, where Kettle Corn has picked up three of his four wins, the 4-year-old horse was making his first appearance in a stakes race of any kind and didn’t he take it well after defeating the favoured Tres Borrachos in the 1 1/8 mile
long Grade 3 Native Diver at Hollywood Park on 3 December, 2011, under jockey Garrett Gomez.
A son of Candy Ride and the Lil E. Tee mare Somethingbeautiful, Kettle Corn was privately purchased by trainer John Sadler for Lee and Susan Searing’s C R K Stable. Kettle Corn has landed a second of the Autumn Meet for his new connections and overall third
in five starts.
Dwelling in the allowance claimers, and optional claimers company, Kettle Corn wasn’t expected to take the Grade 3 Native Diver after being surrounded by older and more experienced horse at stakes level.
Under Garrett Gomez at Hollywood Park, Kettle Corn saved ground throughout the race but never drifted so far he couldn’t come back afterwards when he needed to.
It was a moderate pace set by Tres Borrachos, who decided to run upfront and lead the pack to a wire to wire win. Kettle Corn has other ideas as he timed his run perfectly under Garrett Gomez who took him under strong handling to edge away from Tres Borrachos
with less than a sixteenth of a mile to go.
Eventually Kettle Corn defeated Tres Borrachos by half a length to complete the 1 1/8 mile race in 1 minute and 49.03 seconds over the cushion track.
On the other hand, the 6-year-old gelding Tres Borrachos ran a good race as well. Sent as the 17 to 10 favourite, he finished 2 ¼ lengths clear off the 2 to 1 favourite Tweebster.
“I tried to put him a little closer today because there wasn’t a whole lot of speed,’’ said Gomez. “The horses in front were able to back it up a little bit and I was just trying to get him adapted to the situation. When I pointed him to the rail he was
very game. In fact, he liked being down there. He just pinned his ears and went on with it.’’
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