Emotional Kitten Nips Summer of Fun in Hilltop

Kenneth L. & Sarah Ramsey’s Emotional Kitten arrived late on the scene, reaching the front in the last two jumps to win the $100,000 Hilltop Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, the finale on the 13-race Black-Eyed Susan Day card at Pimlico.

Joel Rosario was at the controls as the Wesley Ward trainee beat six rivals in the 1 1/16-mile event contested over the firm turf. This was her third lifetime win and her first stakes victory. Emotional Kitten edged post-time favorite Summer of Fun for the win, with Zenara finishing third.

The winner, who completed the distance in 1:41.98, paid $12.

HILLTOP STAKES QUOTES

Wesley Ward (trainer, Emotional Kitten, winner) – “She stumbled out of the gate and grabbed a quarter. She showed a lot of heart. I had this horse in at Churchill and decided to scratch and come here. The farther she goes, the better. We’ll go down to that race in Virginia (Grade 3 Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs on July 13).

Joel Rosario (jockey, Emotional Kitten, winner) – “She stumbled a little bit out of the gate and broke to the ground. She straightened out but I was so far behind. Hopefully, they were going fast up front so they’d come back to me. Off the final turn, we were steadily moving up and finished as the best horse in the race.”