Pimlico, 17 May 2008

Millennium Farms’ Student Council (Kingmambo - Class Kris, by Kris S) rallied through the mud to capture the Grade One Maryland Lottery Pimlico Special for four-year-olds and up on Friday.

Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, Student Council scored his eighth career win. The son of Kingmambo was last down the backstretch in the 1-3/16-mile test but first under the wire in 1:54.87 after he caught frontrunner Gottcha Gold inside the 1/16th-pole to win by just a neck. Sir Whimsey finished third. Race-day scratches, which included morning-line favorite A.P. Arrow and Wanderin Boy, whittled the field down to seven runners.

Student Council, who had been winless this year in three starts, won the Grade One Pacific Classic and the Grade Two Hawthorne Gold Cup in 2007. Winning owner Ro Parra said: “We took him to Japan and in hindsight, I wish we hadn’t. When he came back he was tired.

"We were disappointed in the Santa Anita Handicap (sixth-place finish). We thought we were going to win the race. Steve had him ready for this race. I spoke to him just an hour before the race, and he told me to smile in the winner’s circle."

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan added: “There looked like there’d be a lot of speed in there. He’s such a great horse and he’s got such a great stride to him that midway down the backside he grabbed a hold of me and wanted to go. At that point, I had nowhere for him to go. I had to sit there and wait and bide my time and wait a little bit longer. I’ve been watching races all day. I didn’t want to take him out of his game.”