When Kimberlite Pipe was a 3-year-old in the spring of 1999, he won the Grade II Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds, a major prep for the Kentucky Derby.
But the handsome bay didn’t record the second graded stakes victory of his career until Saturday’s Grade III Carey Memorial Handicap, the most prestigious event of Hawthorne Race Course’s fall meeting.
Kimberlite Pipe hit some potholes along the 1999 Triple Crown trail. In the Kentucky Derby, he was bumped on the first turn and carried four-wide down the stretch yet managed to finish a close sixth in the field of 19. In the Preakness, he was in an early three-way duel for the lead, lost his gusto and lagged across the finish line eighth.
But in Saturday’s 1-mile race, Kimberlite Pipe seized an uncontested lead at the outset and held it all the way, gamely withstanding a stretch challenge by Aslaaf to win by a half-length in 1 minute 39.54 seconds.
“If another horse was going to fire for the lead, I had planned on dropping back,” said Chris Emigh, who rode Kimberlite Pipe for the first time. “When nobody came I just kept on going. I could see a bunch of horses coming late. I was getting a little anxious at the end.”
During Kimberlite Pipe’s 3-year-old campaign he was trained by Kentucky-based Dallas Stewart.
In May 2001, with Kimberlite Pipe in the throes of a 10-race losing streak, owner John Gunther sent him to trainer Michael Wright Jr. in Canada. Since then he has run in 14 races, competing mainly on the grass and venturing outside Canada only twice, running fifth in the Grade II Kelso Handicap at Belmont in October 2001 and Saturday, when he visited Hawthorne for the 39th start of his long career.
“He’s a classy old man,” said assistant trainer Jeff Bowen, who accompanied Kimberlite Pipe to Hawthorne. “The turf seems to suit him best, but up home the older turf horses are really strong, so he has had a tough time winning.”
Nevertheless, Kimberlite Pipe has been a moneymaker. His $90,000 share of Saturday’s $150,000 purse sent his career earnings to $984,568.
Dispatched at odds of 8.10-1, Kimberlite Pipe delivered payoffs of $18.20, $8.20 and $8.
