Photo: Natalie Fawkes
Chief Kitten, a dark grey 2-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy, became a stakes winner in his fourth career start when he capped a rallying trip with a bold late surge to capture the $76,500 Pulpit Stakes by a nose at Gulfstream Park West on Saturday afternoon.
For the first half mile of the one-mile turf event, Chief Kitten (5-1 second choice) had only two of 11 rivals beaten, but had been guided deftly to the hedge early by jockey Edgard Zayas to enjoy a groundsaving trip though the clubhouse turn.
Maneuvering out into the three path along the backstretch run and advancing several spots before entering the lane, Chief Kitten and eventual runner-up Croninthebarbarian were stuck behind horses, but the seas parted in upper stretch and Chief Kitten was able to follow Croninthebarbarian through the seam.
Chief Kitten then dug in, caught up with Croninthebarbarian and won a bob at the wire, while Night Prowler who menaced to his outside, grabbed third just a neck back. After longshot Kutuzov on the lead clocked a fast first half-mile in 46.33, Chief Kitten stopped the clock at 1:37.35 over the firm going.
Edgard Zayas, Gulfstream Park West’s leading rider, said, “I think he had a perfect trip. He broke a little slow. He’s not that fast early. I let him stay back and stayed on the inside and once I got to the backstretch, I got the third lane between horses.”
Photo: Leslie Martin
Continued Zayas, “He just got a perfect trip. In the stretch, they opened up for him. Once he saw the hole, he started running. I knew I got it. Right at the wire, his head went down and the other horse’s went up, and I said, ‘I got it.’”
A homebred for Ken and Sarah Ramsey trained by Chad Brown, Chief Kitten debuted in a 1 1/16 miles state-bred maiden special weight on turf at Saratoga, finishing second to subsequent Grade 2 With Anticipation winner Startup Nation. An odds-on Belmont Park maiden breaker at a mile on September 14, he was unplaced in his stakes debut on October 5 at Keeneland in the Grade 3 Dixiana Bourbon Stakes. Working steadily interim at Belmont Park and Palm Meadows, Chief Kitten won the Pulpit Stakes on 55 days’ rest. He has now earned $95,512.
A May Day foal, Chief Kitten is the first starter for his dam Laca, a dirt sprint winner by Cherokee Run. His second dam is Group 3 turf route winner Ibuki Perceive (JPN) who earned $1.3 million abroad. Laca was claimed by the Ramseys for $45,000 on August 14, 2008 and raced four more times before retiring. She currently has a yearling colt by Bluegrass Cat, a weanling filly by Talent Search, and was bred back to Kitten’s Joy this year.
