Kitten's Dumplings Returns in Marie Krantz
The 20th running of the $60,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial – at 1 1/16 miles on Fair Grounds Race Course’s Stall-Wilson turf course – has been chosen as the re-unveiling of Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s highly regarded homebred Kitten’s Dumplings. A Grade I winner who has been off since a ninth-place finish in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in 2013, Kitten’s Dumplings won the Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in October 2013 and has earned nearly $700,000 in a 13-race career that also includes two other graded stakes victories. The daughter of Kitten’s Joy will take on 10 other rivals, including defending champion Eden Prairie in an exciting renewal that goes as one of five stakes on Saturday’s Road to the Derby Kickoff Day card presented by Hotel Monteleone. Trained by Mike Maker, Kitten’s Dumplings will break from post nine under Mike Smith.
Lothenbach Stables’ multiple stakes winner Eden Prairie returns to defend her title in the Krantz Memorial. Now five, Eden Prairie returned to a Fair Grounds turf course she relished last out when proving an easy front-end winner of the $50,000 Blushing K. D. Stakes on December 18. Trained by Neil Pessin, the versatile daughter of Mizzen Mast has won four of her six starts on the local grass and will team again with jockey Florent Geroux from post ten.
Haynes Stables et al’s Every Way drew widest of all in the field of 11 and will be making her first start since a lackluster try on the Del Mar Polytrack last August. Prior to that effort, the City Zip mare was fifth, beaten just three lengths in the Grade II John C. Mabee on the Del Mar turf. A Grade III-placed runner trained by Mike Stidham, Every Way will be paired with Robby Albarado.
Stidham also saddles stakes newcomer Notte d’Oro for Twin Creeks Racing Stable. The 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro filly has won both of her lifetime starts on the Stall-Wilson turf course and closed willingly to win a second-level allowance optional claiming event here on December 18 under James Graham, who has the return call Saturday from post five.
The Krantz field is completed by: Hung the Moon (Miguel Mena, post one), Malibu Yankee (Brian Hernandez, Jr., post two), Synapse (Marcelino Pedroza, post three), Midnight Sweetie (Jose Riquelme, post four), Interest Free (Jamie Theriot, post six), Maid On a Mission (Abel Lezcano, post seven) and Samiam (Kerwin Clark, post eight).
Source: Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots