Keith Kash Jr. scored the 2,000th win of his driving career with Wildatthebeach in Northfield Park’s 11th race on Friday (August 9) by boldly looming from the back to pass the competition.
Wildatthebeach paced her successful mile in 1:57.2, scoring by two lengths and returning $94.40 to win. Kash's milestone win was his fourth on Northfield’s Friday program and his eighth win of the day.
Kash left his Medina, Ohio home on Friday headed for the Ashtabula Fair in Jefferson, Ohio with 1992 wins to his credit. He garnered four wins at the fair before arriving at Northfield to drive for the evening.
“I think I can do it tonight,” said Kash. “It looks like I have a pretty good lineup.”
Kash’s richest wins are for a purse of $100,000. He drove Bono Bests to victory in the 2008 Battle Of Lake Erie and Osborne’s Bullet in an Ohio Sires Stakes final. He rates the most exciting horse he has ever driven as Bono Bests.
“Winning the Battle was great," he said. "I grew up watching the race and it was an honour to win it.”
Kash’s favourite horse he drove with regularity is Waltz Across Texas.
“She was the first good horse I ever drove and she was fun to drive. It was just push a button and she would go,” recalled Kash. “She also taught me a lot about driving.”
The 34-year-old began driving in 1997 and won his first race that year aboard Improvise Hanover in a $525 conditioned race at the Ashland County Fair. Since then he has amassed over $7.8 million in purse earnings. Kash recalls his fastest win as being in 1:51.1 with Forever Happy at Colonial Downs.
The reinsman grew up in the horse business, watching his father drive. Keith Kash Sr. won nearly 1,500 races in his own driving career. Kash Jr. notes his father and David Hawk as having the largest influence on his career.
With 2,000 wins under his belt, Kash will start tomorrow the same way as he did today. He will train his 25-horse stable with Melinda, his wife of 11 years, as well as being an active and doting father of their five-year-old daughter, Kylee.
Fly To The Angels Repeats In Friday Feature
Fly To The Angels was a repeat winner of the $6,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace on Friday (August 9) in Northfield Park’s fifth race. She is trained by Dean Eckley for Greenville, Michigan owner Britney Dillon. Eckley called upon Josh Sutton to drive the nine-year-old pacing mare.
Fly To The Angels (Sign Of Success-Score Big Hanover) started from post four. She left alertly off of the gate and was the race’s initial leader through an opening :27.3 quarter. Sutton released the first-over challenger to sit second approaching the half. Fly To The Angels then sat the perfect trip through fraction of :57 and 1:25.4. She tipped into the passing lane in the stretch and bested her competition by more than a length, stopping the clock at 1:55.4. Completing the race were Tame The Dame, Sissy Bar, Shez Good Osborne, Getherdone Sue, Miss Two Punch and Ashtoreth Hanover.
Friday’s win was the fifth victory in 2013 for Fly To The Angels, who now has 49 career successes and earnings of $195,476. She returned $6 to win.
Northfield Adds $20,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 Pool
Northfield Park announced the addition of a $20,000 Pick 4 total pool guarantee to Monday’s (August 12) program.
Beginning in race eight, the $20,000 Pick 4 guaranteed total pool includes a carryover of $3,230.66.
Northfield’s Pick 5, Pick 4 and the Pick 3’s offer a reduced takeout rate of 14 per cent.
Monday’s post time is 6:30 p.m.
(With files from Northfield Park)