Norfolk Knight Upsets Mobil in Durham Cup

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Norfolk Knight, with a well-judged Jillian Scharfstein ride, shocked heavily favored Mobil and jockey Todd Kabel in Saturday's $159,450 Durham Cup Stakes (Can-III) at Woodbine.

With the upset, Kabel was denied in his bid to tie Avelino Gomez's record of most stakes wins by a jockey in one season.

Kabel has 31 stakes wins so far this season, just one back of Gomez's 1966 mark of 32.

Norfolk Knight went straight to the lead, cutting splits of :23.74 and :47.29 in the 1 1/8-mile race.

Mobil did make up ground through the stretch, but was a neck short at the wire in 1:51.56.

Hugo Dittfach trained the 5-year-old Tejabo gelding to his eighth career win for owner Margaret Squires.

Dittfach said the dark bay, who won the Steady Growth Stakes in June, is a late bloomer. "Last year, he was a four-year-old and never raced before that, he needed to learn everything. He was an adult, but still a child. In the meantime, the horse grew up and so did the rider. Now, we have an adult horse and an adult rider."

Norfolk Knight collected a $95,670 payday and now has lifetime earnings of $517,267.

He paid $13.90 and $4.00 to win and place, and combined with Mobil ($2.20 to place) for a $31.30 exacta. Sky Diamond, 11 3/4 lengths back in third, rounded out the $46.40 trifecta in a race which featured no show wagering.

(Chart, Equibase)

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