Trainer Chad Brown continues to make Gulfstream Park’s $100,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) his personal domain. On Saturday, the reigning Eclipse Award-winning conditioner won the one-mile grass test for three-year-old fillies for the six consecutive time when his black French import, Rymska, surged late to win as the 11-10 favorite.
Making her first start since running fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in November, Rymska had one horse beaten through the opening half-mile as Okinawa led the way through splits of :24.09, :48.15 and 1:11.36. Still more than five lengths back with a quarter-mile to go, the daughter of Le Havre turned in a winning kick to deny Compelled by three parts of a length. Fifty Five ran third.
Owned by the partnership of Sheep Pond Partners, Jathiere, Coleman, and Herrick, Rymska stopped the clock in 1:35.04 on firm ground and paid $4.20 with Joel Rosario up.
“This is a nice race,” Brown said. “We point toward it every year and we’ve been lucky enough to have horses good enough to win these races.
Rymska added her name to the roll call of Brown’s Sweetest Chant winners, joining champion Dayatthespa, Premier Steps, Ready to Act, Consumer Credit, and Pricedtoperfection.
Bred in France by Eric Feurtet, Rymska was third on debut at Clairefontaine and then won back-to-back races at Deauville and Craon for trainer Pia Brandt prior to her importation. In her U.S. debut, Rymska was runner-up to stablemate and eventual Breeders’ Cup scorer New Money Honey in the Miss Grillo (G3) at Belmont.
“From the Breeders’ Cup we got her down here just days after and got her acclimated to South Florida and she’s had a tremendous winter,” Brown said. “She’s been putting on weight, training well, fresh. I thought a mile might be a touch short, and she showed her class to get up in time.”
Rymska has now earned $183,894.
In the $100,000 Kitten’s Joy, Kitten’s Cat proved the hunch play winner of the one-mile grass test for three-year-olds. A son of the race’s namesake and a homebred racing for Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who campaigned Kitten’s Joy, Kitten’s Cat hounded 32-1 front-runner Clyde’s Image all the way around the course and headed him at the wire to register a 7-1 upset.
Trained by Joe Sharp and ridden by Luis Saez, Kitten’s Cat won in a time of 1:36.41 and paid $17.80. Finishing third, one length behind Clyde’s Image, was 1-2 favorite Made You Look, who was bumped at the start, caught behind a slow pace of :24.70, :49.66 and 1:14.07, and was blocked in upper stretch before putting in a late rally.
Third in the Pilgrim (G3) at Belmont Park and hero of the $101,000 Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita last autumn, Kitten’s Cat was making amends for a 4 3/4-length loss to Made You Look in the January 7 Dania Beach (G3) at Gulfstream. His record now stands at 6-3-0-2, $227,410.
Out of Brushwork, by Discreet Cat, Kitten’s Cat’s second dam is multiple Grade 1 winner Manistique.
