Greyvitos; winner of the Springboard Mile

If you looked at Greyvitos’ female family, you’d expect he’d be running on turf.

Instead, he’s a multiple stakes winner on dirt, and a realistic chance for the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

Greyvitos didn’t do much in his first two starts, both at Santa Anita, finishing eighth on turf on his debut and third on dirt at his next start. But when stepped up in class to the seven-furlong Bob Hope Stakes (G3) at Del Mar, he led throughout at odds of 20-1 to topple the highly-rated Mourinho by 1 ½ lengths.

This effort encouraged trainer Adam Kitchingmann to send Greyvitos to Oklahoma for the $400,000 Remington Springboard Mile, which for the first time had points available on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Second favorite at 3-1, Greyvitos was three-wide near the pace and drew to the front at the top of the stretch, comfortably beating favorite Combatant by 2 ¼ lengths.

Bred in Virginia by Audley Farm Equine, Greyvitos was bought at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale for $100,000 by Michele Boghossian’s Triple B Farms.

Greyvitos’ pedigree suggests it’s no surprise Kitchingmann first tried him on grass. His dam is Snow Top Mountain (Najran), a dual grade three winner on turf who also finished second in the Garden City Stakes (G1) on turf at Belmont Park.

Snow Top Mountain’s dam, the unraced Storm Cat mare Motokiks, also produced two other stakes winners, both on turf –Diversy Harbor (Curlin), winner of the Buena Vista Stakes (G2), and Keertana (Johar), who won five grade three races and finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) over 1 3/8 miles.

Greyvitos’ form on dirt would appear to come largely from his sire, the highly successful Malibu Moon (A.P. Indy). Though Malibu Moon’s dam is the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) winner Macoumba (Mr Prospector), his progeny have largely been dirt performers. As of mid-December 2017 they included 14 grade one winners, all of which scored their top-level successes on dirt. He does have some graded stakes winners on turf, but dirt has been his progeny’s predominant surface.

Malibu Moon’s progeny include the 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb, good evidence that he can produce horses that stay 1 ¼ miles. And as most of the black type form on turf from Greyvitos’ female family has been around 1 1/8 miles and sometimes beyond, there’s good reason to believe Greyvitos could stay the Kentucky Derby trip.

Whether Greyvitos continues to progress into a genuine Kentucky Derby contender remains to be seen, but he should be watched closely in the Derby prep races.

Additional Kentucky Derby Pedigree Profiles:

Bolt d'Oro
Enticed
Firenze Fire
Free Drop Billy
Good Magic
Happily
McKinzie
Roaring Lion
Ruggero
Saxon Warrior (JPN)
The Tabulator