ESR Go The Distance Recap – The King in his Castle

The long awaited opening salvo of the Empire State Residency’s 2yo series was a resounding success… especially if your name is Kingab.  Here’s a rundown of the four heats that went one mile on the dirt for first time starters in New York on 9/6/2025.

Group A had Kingab’s only morning line favorite INDY’S PISTOL (who shared that designation, in fact) used a stalk and pounce approach from mid-pack to defeat Balata’s KENTUCKY STORM IX by 2 ¾ lengths, after chasing the wicked fractions set by Ace’s STG BARELY GREY.  Beisbol’s 61-1 Turkish-bred EXPIRED COUPON passed a lot of tired horses and snuck up for the show money.  The winner by Gun Runner earned a solid 88 Speed Figure and looks to be super dangerous in the next round.

Group B was the heat we predicted would have a ton of speedballs pushing the pace, and it did not disappoint.  Trainer Ace again gunned to the front with STG CAIRO PUNKIN, Beisbol’s CREEPY MIME was in hot (and silent?) pursuit.  Both were overtaken by the stalking INTO BEASTMODE, and indeed Tisjuliet’s Into Mischief colt led into the stretch but could not hold off the late charge of SOCIAL DILEMMA.  The Nyquist scratch-bred from the Trotter barn was 13^th at the second call but a no-doubt winner going away late, scorching a 91 Speed Figure while opening up by 2 ½ lengths.   Kingab’s SECRET IN FLIGHT came from all the way back in last to edge fellow closer GRIM INSIGHT in the show photo.  Two runners, two trifecta placings for Kingab so far.

Group C on paper looked like it had more horses who would excel with more time and more ground to cover, and true to form the contested pace was set by long-distance guru Lgbost and his Medaglia D’Oro colt GOLD MEDAL GUVNOR.  TAP TO THAT TUNE did not give him any breathing room and once they hit the 3/8 pole it was a foregone conclusion.  The Tapit continued to increase his winning margin of 4 ¼ lengths through the wire, stopping the timer with a high 92 Speed Figure.  PASCAL PASSED OUT passed the other pace horses to earn second in a race where nobody but the winner made up ground from the half to the finish.  Beisbol saddled the horse but he’s a Robscoobi breeding success!   Desertdog’s RHYDONIUM BURN ran a sneaky-good third chasing the winner all the way around.  Kingab’s domination is looking more like a feature than a bug at this stage of the contest.

Group D offered a little more hope for the rest of the ESR crowd as there were 10 horses with morning line odds of 11-1 or less, and 7 of them in the single digits, signifying an evenly matched field.  Valesa’s ASHES AND BLOOD was the best of the early speed horses, putting away a trio of challengers at the three-eights pole and began to draw away impressively from the field, opening up by 2 with less than a furlong to go.  But this is ESR and that heavy-breathing you heard from the back of the pack (no, it wasn’t Donny in a hooded sweatshirt in the bushes) was none other than jockey S Hommell riding A CRY OF MISCHIEF.  The third Kingab winner on the card sizzled past the others like they were standing still after being 13^th by 8 ¾ at the half, and was still 6 lengths back in mid-stretch but won going away by a length and a quarter.  The Into Mischief’s 84 Speed Figure was the lowest of the day but made sense being the 4^th option of the contest.  ASHES AND BLOOD held for a valiant second, and Beisbol’s MUTOMBO’S WAG was a non-threatening third. 

Winning trainers:  Kingab, Trotter, Kingab, Kingab

Winning sires:  Gun Runner, Nyquist, Tapit, Into Mischief

Winning odds:  6.29-1 (co-favorite), 8.48-1 (3^rd choice), 11.10-1 (8^th choice), 9.08-1(5^th)

(Soothing TV commercial voiceover)

Have you been thoroughly beaten down in a Derbyfever residency race?  

Having nightmares of Kingab horses trampling you?

Can’t get obnoxious Donny comments out of your head?

Well now you don’t need to worry any longer!  If you runners finished 2^nd through 7^th in the first week, you may qualify for the consolation races, Round 2 on October 18^th!

Best of all, you may only have to face a Kingab horse once.  Side effects include chronic losing, screaming at computer monitors, cursing about Buckeyes, BP deficiency syndrome, acute credititis, and lease mare mania.  Good luck!