Stephanie's Kitten roars home in Alcibiades

Last updated: 10/7/11 7:08 PM

Stephanie’s Kitten (outside) blew past her rivals and into BC Juvenile Fillies contention in the Alcibiades
(Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s homebred Stephanie’s Kitten came motoring down
the middle of the track to take Friday’s Grade 1, $400,000

Alcibiades Stakes on Keeneland’s opening day. The bay lass was sent
off at 9-1 in the full field and completed 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack
in 1:43 under jockey John Velazquez.

“Win and in, and we’ll be in,” said Ken Ramsey, referring to
Stephanie’s Kitten earning an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Fillies with the victory. “She’s named after my granddaughter,
Stephanie Esther Ramsey. This could be the best of the litter, who
knows?”

It was a mad dash down the stretch when the gates opened in front of
the picturesque track’s grandstand, but Cheerleader and On Fire Baby
quickly pulled to the front, duking it out through splits of :23 1/5,
:47 and 1:11 4/5. All the while, Stephanie’s Kitten was biding her time
in midpack racing just to the outside of Flashy Lassie.

Nearing the turn, the juvenile miss moved up between horses before angling
out rounding the turn. With Velazquez urging her on, Stephanie’s Kitten easily
reeled in Heart of Destiny and Putthebabiesdown, who had grabbed command
entering the stretch. Stephanie’s Kitten was 1 1/2 lengths in front of Hearty of
Destiny on the wire with Putthebabiesdown another neck behind in third.

“(Trainer) Wayne (Catalano) said, ‘You’re riding a really good horse, just
ride like it. Take your time with her, try to save some ground. When you’re
ready to go, just make your move and get her ready to run.’ She responded really
good,” Velazquez said.

Stephanie’s Kitten paid $21.60, $10.40 and $6.80 for the win, and saw her
lifetime earnings shoot to $277,800. The filly’s scorecard now reads 4-2-0-2.

Frolic’s Revenge completed the superfecta and was followed under the line by
On Fire Baby, And Why Not, 2-1 favorite Tu Endie Wei, New Wave, Ann of the
Dance, Egg Drop, Venetian Sonata, Flashy Lassie and Cheerleader. Sweet Cat and
Tavern on the Bay were both scratched.

Not one of her rivals could match strides with Stephanie’s Kitten late
(Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

“I don’t know if we’ll go on to the Breeders’ Cup; that’s up to the boss
(owner Brereton Jones),” said Tu Endie Wei’s trainer, Reade Baker. “She really
got fired up in the gate. Your stalls are much wider and make a lot more noise
than ours in Canada and she didn’t like it.”

“She got very antsy in the gate,” jockey James McAleney agreed. “At about the
half-mile mark she was ready to run, but (the gate) had already taken too much
out of her. I have a ton of respect for this filly. You didn’t get to see what
she can do yet, but you will some day.”

The Kentucky-bred Stephanie’s Kitten earned her second career win in the
Alcibiades. She finished third in her July 9 career debut on Arlington Park’s
Polytrack before scoring against maiden rivals while trying turf next out on
August 5. Catalano shipped his pupil to Woodbine for her next start, the Grade 3
Natalma, and the daughter of Kitten’s Joy wound up third on that day.

“I spoke with the team, Mark (Partridge) from the farm and Mr. Ramsey. We had
a little conference call,” Catalano explained the decision to run Stephanie’s
Kitten in the Alcibiades rather than the Grade 3 Jessamine on Keeneland’s turf
Thursday. “I thought running here would give us a little more time until
Breeders’ Cup day. She’s a little better on the grass, but she was training so
well on the Polytrack. We took a shot.”

Stephanie’s Kitten RNAed twice in the sales ring, failing to meet her reserve
with a final bid of $30,000 at last year’s Keeneland September and $17,000 in
this season’s OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. She is out of the
unraced Catienus mare Unfold the Rose, who is herself a daughter of Grade 1
heroine Bail Out Becky (Red Ransom).