Sharp Kitty Captures Christmas Past
Hardacre Farm LLC’s Sharp Kitty captured her stakes debut in the Saturday’s$75,000 Christmas Past Stakes at Gulfstream Park with a dominant performance that bodes well for the 3-year-old filly’s future on the track and as a broodmare.
Purchased by owner/trainer Amy Tarrant for $340,000 at the 2014 Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, the daughter of Kitten’s Joy earned valuable stakes credentials while posting a 3 ¼-length triumph under a perfectly executed ride by Matthew Rispoli.
“She’s a Kitten’s Joy to begin win. She was a costly filly, but I’m really getting big time into the breeding part and I wanted really nice fillies for my breeding program – they’re not easy to get,” Tarrant said. “I loved the way she looked. She was race-y looking, even as a baby. She’s a Kitten’s Joy, so she can run or I can breed her, so there’s residual value. Now, I’ve got both of those things – I’ve got a nice horse that can run, and I have the residual value.”
Sharp Kitty saved ground from her No. 1 post position before slipping inside pacesetter Virgen Morena to take the lead leaving the backstretch and continuing on to register a comfortable triumph in the stakes for sophomore fillies run over a ‘good’ turf course. The Kentucky-bred filly ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.10.
“She’s always been a sweetie, easy to train; she loves to do her job. Today, I was a little worried because she was a little feistier than normal. I thought it she doesn’t go in the gate, I’ll really be worried, but she went right in. She has been a delight to train,” Tarrant said.
Temple Fur, the 5-2 second choice ridden by Gerardo Corrales, finished second after an outside stalking trip, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Bonita and jockey Miguel Vasquez.
Sharp Kitty’s victory was the second for Tarrant, who visited the winner’s circle with second-race winner Byegone Days, a 3-year-old daughter of Old Fashioned who was purchased at the 2014 Saratoga Sale for $110,000. Rispoli was aboard for the 13-1 upset victory in the 1 1/16-mile maiden turf event for fillies and mares.
“[Matthew] gave both of those horses great trips today. I’m really impressed by him. He’s a good kid who tries hard,” Tarrant said. “I’ve been using him on most of my horses.”
Tarrant said she would look for another stakes for Sharp Kitty at Gulfstream for her next start.
Rafael Hernandez Returns to Action in Sunday’s 6th Race
Jockey Rafael Hernandez, who suffered multiple injuries in a spill Feb. 20, is scheduled to return to action inSunday’s sixth race at Gulfstream Park.
Hernandez, named on Peachtree Stable's first-time starter Ozymandias, broke his collarbone, fractured ribs and had a kidney removed after his mount Brandy's Girl fell.
“He's good to go,” said Hernandez's agent Cliff Collier. “He feels great, he looks great. He did his therapy here in Florida and then went to St. Louis where he's been galloping horses the past two weeks at Fairmount Park. He knows everyone there, that's where he started, and everybody has been great to him.”
Source: Gulfstream Park