Jewel of a Cat, Katie's Kiss Renew Rivalry in Captiva Island

Having already met twice during the Championship Meet and three times since last fall, Florida-bred and based Jewel of a Cat and Katie’s Kiss will renew their rivalry Saturday in the $75,000 Captiva Island at Gulfstream Park.

The second running of the Captiva Island for fillies and mares 4 and older is one of two five-furlong turf sprint stakes on Saturday’s 12-race program, along with the $75,000 Silks Run for 4-year-olds and up.

J and J Stables’ Jewel of a Cat owns two wins and two thirds in four starts since joining trainer Carlo Vaccarezza last fall, winning the Millions Turf Sprint Preview against males Nov. 7 at Gulfstream Park West – finishing three lengths ahead of runner-up Katie’s Kiss – and the Windley Key Stakes Dec. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

The 6-year-old mare dead-heated for third in the Sunshine Millions Turf Sprint on Jan. 16, 1 ¾ lengths in front of Katie’s Kiss, the David Fawkes trainee who wound up sixth, and was third behind Lady Shipman and Katie’s Kiss in the Ladies Turf Sprint Feb. 6.

“David’s a great guy and a good friend of mine and they have a really nice, nice filly,” Vaccarezza said. “I hope the best filly wins the race and most important I hope that everybody comes home safe.”

Jewel of a Cat enters the Captiva Island five weeks since the Ladies Turf Sprint, which came just three weeks following a big effort against males in the Millions Turf Sprint where she was third by a length to Amelia’s Wild Ride, one of the key players in Saturday’s Silks Run.

Over her career, Jewel of a Cat has run in 22 stakes from 25 starts with five wins, five seconds and four thirds. Paco Lopez will ride from post three of 8 at topweight of 120 pounds.

“We try to space her races. Sometimes the races come every three weeks. When she ran against Lady Shipman I think we ran her too soon, but I think she’s ready,” Vaccarezza said. “She’s good. She’s a very game, very fast filly and we try to keep her sound. I think she’s going to be very tough.”

Stonestreet Stables’ Katie’s Kiss has made 15 of her 16 lifetime starts in Florida, 13 of them at Gulfstream Park, where she has finished in the top three nine times with three wins, including the five-furlong Summer Winds Stakes last August.

Katie’s Kiss has five in-the-money finishes in eight career stakes races, four of them seconds, three of those coming in her last four starts: the Millions Turf Sprint Preview, Lightning City Stakes Dec. 19 in Tampa, and the Ladies Turf Sprint.

“She hooked that filly last race and that was to be expected. That’s a tough horse, and I thought she ran great against her,” Fawkes said. “She’s doing great. She came out of her race good. She ran a huge race last time but she seemed to bounce back good.”

A 4-year-old bay daughter of Kantharos, Katie’s Kiss figures to be on or near the lead under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, breaking from post two at 118 pounds. She sat off the pace last time out before launching a bid between horses three wide on the far turn, passing Jewel of a Cat in the stretch.

“She’s gotten to where she leaves the gate really good. Early on in her career she was struggling with the gate a little bit but she breaks and you can put her wherever you want her, take hold of her, rate her early, because she likes to sit just a little bit off of it,” Fawkes said.

“She’s actually matured a lot this year. She’s doing really good. She’s grown up and filled out, which is typical for fillies and mares. As they get older they fill out and mature more,” he added. “When horses gain weight, I think you have to train them a little harder even though they’re gaining weight because you don’t want them fat inside. She’s been doing everything right, no complaints.”