Big Blue Kitten, Guys Reward will keep off the pace in Cliff Hanger Stakes

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Big Blue Kitten and Guys Reward, winners of graded stakes over the course, stand out as the class of the Grade 3, $100,000 Cliff Hanger Stakes on the turf Sunday at Monmouth Park.

The 1 1/8-mile contest goes as race 11 on a 12-race card and drew a quality field of seven.

Big Blue Kitten, a 6-year-old trained by Chad Brown, should be favored with Joe Bravo aboard from the outside post.

Big Blue Kitten emerged as one of the leaders in the division last year with a big summer-fall campaign that started with a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes.

That effort was the springboard to consecutive Grade 1 victories: the United Nations Stakes here and the Sword Dancer at Saratoga.

Big Blue Kitten returned in winning form, capturing his season debut earlier this month: the restricted Lure Stakes at Saratoga with a typical strong finishing move.

Guys Reward, a 7-year-old trained by Dale Romans, also does his best work from well off the pace.

He surged in the lane to take the Grade 3 Oceanport Stakes on the Haskell undercard last month.

The fact the top contenders are deep closers could aid horses more forwardly positioned.

“I’d have to say it won’t be a lively pace,” said trainer Steve DiMauro who sends out Michael With Us. “If it isn’t, we’ll probably be a little bit closer than last time.

KEY CONTENDERS

Big Blue Kitten (Last 3 Beyers: 100-98-104)

◗ The multiple Grade 1 winner of over $1.2 million is the obvious class of the field, and its most consistent performer. He has run a 91 or higher Beyer Speed Figure in his last 12 U.S. starts.

◗ No one rides this course better than Bravo, the leading rider here a record 13 times. Trainer Chad Brown and Bravo have teamed up for four wins from seven starts at Monmouth over the past two seasons.

Guys Reward (Last 3 Beyers: 97-94-100)

◗ He prevailed on a class drop to win the Grade 3 Oceanport Stakes here last month. Like Big Blue Kitten, Guys Reward is a drop-back closer who could use some early pace help.

◗ He returned to Romans’s Churchill Downs barn following the Oceanport for a pair of solid five-furlong works.

Winning Cause (Last 3 Beyers: 91-98-103)

◗ He is winless in three stakes tries at the meet, beaten two lengths or less in all three.

◗ He should be stalking likely pacesetter Plainview and could be the one to catch in deep stretch.