The well-bred Camelot Kitten fought on gamely from along tight quarters on the inside in the stretch to light up the tote board while earning his first stakes victory here.
Adding blinkers in this one, the bay saved ground back in sixth as narrow GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Airoforce (Colonel John) clicked off opening splits of :23.27 and :46.51. Taking closer order entering the bend, the Ramsey homebred slipped through a seam beside the hedge to confront 'TDN Rising Star' Beach Patrol in the lane and the two battled it out to the wire with Camelot Kitten stretching his nose out in the dying strides for a narrow success.
A debut winner by a neck over the Belmont lawn Sept. 12, Camelot Kitten rallied from far back after a tardy beginning to finish a good second to Airoforce in Keeneland's GIII Dixiana Bourbon S. Oct. 4. He took his share of support at 11-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Oct. 30, but failed to land a blow while 12th. He only made one start since, a second-place finish as the chalk in a Keeneland allowance Apr. 13. The American Turf marked his first career attempt on a firm turf.
“[Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.] worked out a really good trip from [the nine] post position and we made the equipment change and put blinkers on the horse,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He's a horse that always had trained really well like a top-level stakes horse and then in the afternoons I felt like we weren't really getting everything out of him. We tried to put the blinkers on him, he worked really big here at Churchill last week, and combined with Irad's great ride, it made the difference.”
As for what's next, Brown added, “Maybe try him at a mile and an eighth in a race like the [GIII] Pennine Ridge [at Belmont June 4] next time out if he comes out of it OK, and if he does then sure, we'll try something like the [GI Belmont] Derby [July 9].”
The winner's dam Celestial Woods, now a producer of three stakes winners, including GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Bobby's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), was claimed by the Ramseys for $25,000 out of her career finale at Churchill Downs in 2007. She has a 2-year-old colt by Kitten's Joy named Starstruck Kitten and also a yearling colt by the Ramseys' flagship sire.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
AMERICAN TURF S.-GII, $300,000, CD, 5-7, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:41.13, fm.
1–#@CAMELOT KITTEN, 118, c, 3, by Kitten's Joy
1st Dam: Celestial Woods, by Forestry
2nd Dam: Celestial Bliss, by Relaunch
3rd Dam: North Of Eden (Ire), by Northfields
O/B-Kenneth L. Ramsey & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $171,120. Lifetime Record: 5-2-2-0,
$278,520. *Full to Bobby's Kitten, GISW, $1,359,766; and
Major Magic, SW, $155,887. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A++.[bullet ad=”eqb-eqb-cardio-scan-and-auction-client”][bullet ad=”webb-carroll-another-wctc-grad”]2–Beach Patrol, 118, c, 3, Lemon Drop Kid–Bashful Bertie, by
Quiet American. 'TDN Rising Star' ($250,000 Wlg '13 KEENOV).
O-Gary and Mary West; B-Nancy C. Shuford (KY); T-Philip
D'Amato. $55,200.[bullet ad=”elmtree-salesgrad”]3–Surgical Strike, 118, c, 3, Red Giant–Preemptive Attack, by
Smart Strike. O/B-Edward A. Seltzer & Beverly Anderson (KY);
T-Ben Colebrook. $27,600.
Margins: HD, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 18.70, 5.10, 15.10.
Also Ran: Airoforce, Azar, Converge, Dressed in Hermes, J R 's Holiday, Shakhimat, American Patriot, Two Step Time, Cutacorner, Frank Conversation. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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