Upstart Colt Kingside Shakes Off Early Trouble to Win as Keeneland Opens

Kingside, a two-year-old colt by Upstart, won on the first afternoon of racing at Keeneland. He is out of the mare Mitigate, a daughter of Exaggerator. That gives the young horse a pedigree that reads well on both sides of the page. His race did not start cleanly. Moments after the gates opened he was pinched back between horses, which is a hard thing for a juvenile still learning his trade. He recovered his footing, settled into fourth, and stayed close behind the three horses ahead of him. From that spot the afternoon became his. In a race this young, keeping his composure after early trouble counted for as much as his speed, and Kingside handled both on the day Lexington's racing season began.

With reporting from Thoroughbred Daily News.