KARAKONTIE’s None Above The Law secured his first graded stakes victory on Saturday at Del Mar with a convincing win in the Del Mar Derby Presented by Caesars Sportsbook (G2).
Downstream Racing’s 3-year-old broke well in the 1 1/8 mile turf race and immediately took up a position on the rail in midpack.
As they raced into the final half mile, Joe Bravo let None Above The Law creep up closer to the leaders as they waited for the rail to open in front of him. That moment came as they entered the final furlong and None Above The Law needed no encouragement from Bravo to bolt through the hole in front of him.
The race was over at that point with None Above The Law having the win well in hand with an easy three-quarter length victory. The triple surface stakes winner was eager to go around again and gave Bravo more of a work out pulling him up than he’d given the jockey in the race.
Trained by Peter Miller, it was None Above The Law’s fifth win of the year with two runner up finishes as well to take his overall career total to six wins in 14 starts for $454,060 in earnings.
“I know he went from a mile on turf to seven-furlongs on the dirt to a mile and an eighth on the turf to win this,” said Miller. “You won’t find that in any training manual, that’s not the way you do it. But this horse just does everything well. He’s just an overachiever and I just love this horse. The Robinsons are longtime clients and what a ride by Joe Bravo.”
Already one of seven stakes winners and 12 stakes horses for KARAKONTIE, the J. Kirk and Judy Robison-bred None Above the Law is his sire’s fourth graded stakes winner.
None Above The Law is one of two winners from two to race out of the stakes winning Legally Blanca, who is a half-sister to Grade 2-placed Bombaguia and four other winners out of stakes-placed Wishful Legacy. None Above The law also comes from the extended family of Grade 1 winners Oleksandra, Forest Indigo, and Too Late Now.
KARAKONTIE’s 12 percent stakes performers and seven percent stakes winners ranks among the highest of any North America third-crop sire.