Discussions Underway to Send Kona Gold to Kentucky Horse Park
Updated: Thursday, July 31, 2003 1:48 PM
Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 4:15 PM
Photo: AP/Ed Betz
Kona Gold, could join John Henry and others at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Discussions are underway to send champion Kona Gold to the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions. The 9-year-old gelding was retired following a fifth-place finish in the July 26 Bing Crosby Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) at Del Mar.
"Discussions are ongoing to bring Kona Gold to the horse park," said John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park. "We would love to have Kona Gold here and feel he would make a lovely addition to the hall of champions."
Nicholson said the idea of sending Kona Gold to Kentucky from trainer Bruce Headley's California farm have been put forward although no decision is expected to until mid-August.
Headley purchased Kona Gold for $35,000 from his breeder, Carlos Perez' Twilite Farm, at the 1995 Keeneland September yearling sale. The son of Java Gold won the 2000 Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) by a half-length over Honest Lady at Churchill Downs after finishing third and second in the two previous runnings of the event for Headley's wife Aase, and Irwin and Andrew Molasky. When he won the Breeders' Cup he was partially owned by Michael Singh.
Kona Gold won 11 stakes and retired with $2,293,384 in earnings and a record of 31-14-7-2.
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