Archipenko, The Late Bloomer

Early this morning in the Arlington Park paddock, I got my first view of jet-setting star ARCHIPENKO (Kingmambo), the morning-line favorite for Saturday's Arlington Million (G1). The winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-G1) in Hong Kong and most recently the Summer Mile (Eng-G2) at Ascot, Archipenko looked in excellent order.

While he's on the small side, the regally bred bay is elegantly made, and projects the appearance of a fine-tuned, perfectly fit racing machine. Following behind his lead horse as he circled the paddock, Archipenko was a model of deportment.

I took special notice of his coat. Prior to the Summer Mile, trainer Mike de Kock had stated that Archipenko's coat was not quite as good as it had been in Hong Kong. That didn't stop him from winning, despite not being fully wound up for a race at a distance slightly short of his best, under 132 pounds, against a solid field.

Now, however, I was pleased to see that his coat has developed a lovely luster, a golden sheen, as he strode beneath the Chicago sun. His cameo appearance in the paddock was ample evidence of his well-being as his Arlington Million date draws closer.

De Kock, a champion trainer in South Africa who has enjoyed great success on the world stage, spoke of Archipenko's ability to cope with the burdens of travel.

“He gets on a plane, and he thinks he's going on holiday,” he said. “His main attribute is, he eats well. Horses that travel well tend to be good doers.”

Archipenko has brains to go along with his physical talent.

“He's very intelligent,” de Kock beamed, with a glowing smile like that of a proud father. “You can see by the way he behaves. It's like he almost wants to talk to you.”

De Kock described his charge as “really a late bloomer,” and that aptly sums up his career so far. Since he was a late foal, born on May 30, 2004, it stands to reason that he has taken some time to reach the peak of his powers.

Archipenko was initially trained by Aidan O'Brien in Ireland. He showed some promise, capturing the 2007 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (Ire-G2) in good style, but he was not the stable's first string for that event. Still, by virtue of his victory in a usually key prep, he was sent off as the 13-2 third choice in the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), where he completely failed to handle the course and wound up last.

After three more unplaced efforts, Archipenko was sold out of O'Brien's Ballydoyle yard last year to a partnership headed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum. Transferred to de Kock, Archipenko has thrived for his new connections, much like a marginal player who gets traded, only to improve considerably for his new squad.

In his second start for de Kock in Dubai, Archipenko turned things around with the addition of blinkers in the Al Fahidi Fort (UAE-G2), sweeping to a resounding victory. He has been on an upward spiral ever since. Archipenko just missed in the Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1) on Dubai World Cup night, beaten all of a half-length in third. It was a very strong performance, considering the depth and quality of a field replete with Group 1 winners, and the fact that he may well have won, if he hadn't been a little too timid to plow through a gap at the decisive moment.

In the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong, Archipenko had more than enough room to maneuver with an outside trip, and he exploded through the stretch to win handsomely over some highly accomplished rivals.

When Archipenko drew the inside post for the Arlington Million, I wondered whether de Kock might have preferred an outside post, but he said that the draw was “not a concern.”

Given his continued improvement, if Archipenko had the chance today to revisit that Duty Free, would he go through that gap?

“I think he would,” de Kock responded without hesitation, adding that Archipenko used to want to run around, get outside horses, but now he's got a much more straightforward running style.

In a fascinating subplot to the Million, Archipenko will square off against his former stablemate, the O'Brien-trained MOUNT NELSON (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]). Hence the Million can be billed as a clash between the ex-Ballydoyle horse made good, and the yard's current representative. No shortage of intrigue in that stand-off, and the late bloomer may end up having the upper hand.