OZONE PARK, N.Y--Arch Kingsley saddled Hudson River Farms’ L’Imperator (Fr), ridden by Jordan Gainford, to win the first running of the G1, $150,000, 2 3/4 Beverly R. Steinman handicap on Thursday, June 20 at Belmont at the Big A.
L'Imperator leads Rampoldi Plan and Ziggle Pops to the wire in the Steinman (Photo by Tod Marks)It was a thrilling finish as Rampoldi Plan, trained by Lesle Young, and Ziggle Pops, trained by Jack Fisher, fought it out in front around the final turn, while L'Imperator tracked them, then tipped out three wide into the stretch and wore them down to win by 2 lengths over Rampoldi Plan, with Ziggle Pops third and Jimmy P, trained by Keri Brion fourth.
Awakened, Freddy Flintshire, West Newton, and Gordon’s Jet rounded out the order of finish.
It turned out to be a great piece of luck for l'Imperator and his connections that the Steinman, originally carded for Saratoga on June 9, was cancelled due to heavy rain.
L'Imperator had a foot abscess and wouldn't have been able to run in Saratoga, but Kingsley found the blacksmith Ian McKinley, who cut out the abscess and put on a glue-on pad, and L'Imperatore was ready to run in the Steinman.
Kingsley and Ed Swyer, owner of Hudson River Farms, have a long and very successful career together, going back to the days when Kingsley rode for Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard and rode Swyer's top steeplechase horse Nine Pins to multiple wins, coming ever so close to being named the Eclipse Award winner, only to be beaten by Lonesome Glory.
L'IMPERATOR, a 7-year-old Holy Roman Emperor gelding, had been placed in his last four starts, including running third in the G1 behind Rampoldi Plan in the Commonwealth Cup on May 4 at Great Meadow and second behind his stable mate Merry Maker in the G1 Lonesome Glory last September.
"Jordan came over just to ride L'Imperator," said Kingsley of the Irish jockey who rode Shark Hanlon's Hewick, the eventual Eclipse Award winner, to win the 2022 Grand National at Far Hills. "He and his girl have gone to Nashville because he's heard so much about it from other jockeys, and he wanted to see it. Then he's flying back to Ireland, bur he's coming back to ride L'Impersator at Saratoga."
Kingsley plans to run L'Imperator in the G1 $150,000 A. P. Smithwick Memorial on July 17 and the G1 $150,000 Jonathan Sheppard on Aug. 14 at Saratoga, as well as the G1 Lonesome Glory in September at Aqueduct.
“There’s four Grade 1s in New York now, counting today, over the next few months, and if I can keep him healthy, he’s going to run in all of them,” said Kingsley. “He’s just come into his own and it has always been the plan that these races would be the sweet spot of his year – thank you, NYRA.”
Gainford said it was an ideal trip for the talented steeplechaser, who was also a G2 winner on the flat.
“We wanted to get cover and we did," said Gainford. "On the last circuit, I was just curious of the two in front of me and I thought Jamie Bargary's horse [Rampoldi Plan] was the horse to beat. I just wanted to keep him in my sights. Once I turned in, I nearly got there too soon.”
Kingsley, Jr. said he had full confidence in the late move.
"I only grew more confident as the race was unfolding. With a turn to go, I said to myself, ‘we’re going to win it,’” said Kingsley, Jr. “He was going after those two that had shaken loose, and he was going to take his time to get there and keep an eye on them, but it all unfolded perfectly.”
“Ed Swyer and I have been around the world together racing at this level and to share in a moment like this is as good as it gets,” said Kingsley after the race. “My daughter, jockey Taylor Kingsley, is walking the course at Leopardstown to ride a race later today and she just called me from watching a horse on TV that she’s done a lot of work on win a Grade 1 in New York. We’re just all living our best lives around these good horses, and we feel so fortunate to be custodians of animals with this kind of talent and to be entrusted by the owners to do it."
"Taylor was second at long odds, and earlier won a bumper at Punchestown," said Kingsley. "She rides two in Sweden Tuesday and then comes home. I'm going up to Saratoga, where L'Imperator and Cibolian will stay through the meet, and when Taylor gets back she's replacing me in Saratoga, and I'll go back to Camden and get the horses ready to tun at Colonial Downs."
“I can’t say enough in gratitude to the horses that have brought us all around the world and given us a better life than we could have dreamt on our own,” Kingsley said.
Bred in France by Jean-Pierre Dubois, L’Imperator banked $90,000 in victory while improving his record to 27-10-1-8 and 10-3-1-5 over the jumps.
"He's French bred, and by definition,, that makes him on the quirky side," said Kingsley. "In the barn, he's a pussycat, but he's a handful when he gets to the races. He's a very classy, focused, professional race horse that knows his job."
