Class relief for Becky's Kitten
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s homebred 3-year-old gelding Becky’s Kitten broke his maiden on turf at Saratoga in late August, finished second in the Summer Stakes (G3) at Woodbine and ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) at Santa Anita, but should find the competition a bit softer as the horse to beat in Friday’s allowance feature going one mile on turf at Gulfstream Park.
Jockey Julien Leparoux will be aboard Becky’s Kitten for trainer Wesley Ward in the field of nine 3-year-olds with two others entered to run ‘main track only’ by their connections. Becky’s Kitten is a son of the Ramseys’ 2005 Eclipse champion turf horse and highly successful young stallion Kitten’s Joy. Becky’s Kitten finished sixth in the Tropical Park Derby (G3) last out at Calder on New Year’s Day.
Dogwood Stable’s Trippo finished 10th in the Tropical Park Derby for trainer Frank Alexander with trouble early in the race and comes back Friday with Cornelio Velasquez getting the return call. The son of Trippi ran two good races over the Aqueduct course in his two previous starts, breaking his maiden and finishing second in an allowance.
Completing the field are Jose Cerrillo’s Drover, Ione and Herb Elkins’ Forty Nine Acres, Bethlehem Stable’s On Vacation, Mike Ryan’s Major Momentum, Shade Tree Thoroughbreds’ Three Deadly Sins, Blackacre Farms’ Flatter This and Monarch Stable’s Concorde’s Fury.
Padua Stable’s Enigmatic and Mercedes Stables’ Ban the Eight are the two ‘main track only’ entrants.