The following appeared in Horse Racing Nation’s website this week. Greyvitos is a 3 year old Virginia-bred colt who has won $319,345 from six career starts. He was bred by Audley Farm Equine and is by Malibu Moon out of Snow Top Mountain by Najran.
Graded stakes winner Greyvitos could head postward again as soon as Sunday at Del Mar, trainer Adam Kitchingman said, after the 3-year-old Malibu Moon’s break from the races dating back to May.
Kitchingman is eyeing a 6 ½-furlong allowance optional claiming event on Del Mar’s closing day for Greyvitos, who got back on the work tab in October.
“It just depends if the race goes or not,” Kitchingman said. “If it goes, we’ll be in it. If it doesn’t go, we won’t.”
Greyvitos broke his maiden by winning the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes (Gr. 3) at Del Mar November 11th, 2017. Photo by Benoit Photography.
Greyvitos broke his maiden a year ago when off at 19-1 over the same track in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3). He then placed himself on the Kentucky Derby trail with a victory in the Remington Springboard Mile.
Triple B Farms’ Greyvitos has overcome a number of obstacles during his career. The Virginia-bred overcame colic before sent to Kitchingman, escaped the Lilac Fire safely at San Luis Rey Downs in December, and recovered from surgery to remove knee chips following the Springboard Mile.
Greyvitos made his 3-year-old debut in the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, fading to fourth after setting the pace. Greyvitos then met a sloppy track for the first time in the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard, when he broke wide from post No. 14. He finished 13th after sitting off the pace.
Greyvitos first returned to the work tab Oct. 12 at San Luis Rey. His last three works have been at Del Mar, including a six-furlong move in 1:13.80 Nov. 18 and a half-mile in 47.80 Nov. 25.
Kitchingman is waiting to see how Greyvitos returns before making any future race decisions, but he does have one spot in mind should the colt exit his next race in good order.
“If it goes well, we’re probably going to aim for the Malibu,” the trainer said, “but we’ll just take one step at a time first.”
The Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu Stakes is part of Santa Anita’s opening day card Dec. 26. Others pointing toward the seven-furlong feature include Axelrod, a multiple Grade 3 winner and the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) runner-up; Copper Bullet, last year’s Saratoga Special (G2) winner who returned this month to win an allowance at Churchill Downs; Grade 1-placed Seven Trumpets; and multiple graded stakes winner Kanthaka, who also last raced in May.