Camelot Kitten finds form in Kentucky Cup Classic

It had been a while between drinks for Camelot Kitten, who entered Saturday’s $102,000 Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes at Turfway Park on a losing streak dating back to October 2016, but a slight drop in class and change of surface helped him regain his edge.

The 5-year-old Kitten’s Joy horse settled wide in mid-pack while Chip Leader snatched the early lead as the field crossed the wire for the first time. Chip Leader held onto that lead into an opening quarter of 25.33 seconds while Designed for War gave chase on the outside and Colonel Samsen tracked the leaders from the rail in third.

The positions remained relatively unchanged as the field crossed the backstretch and completed the opening half-mile in 49.24 seconds, but in the middle of the pack, jockey Rafael Hernandez began to ask Camelot Kitten for some run from the five path.

Camelot Kitten and Fast and Accurate moved up on the outside to challenge Chip Leader, who still held onto the lead after a three-quarters time of 1:13.04, and those three drew even approaching the quarter pole. Those three remained within about a length of each other down the stretch, but Camelot Kitten ground out a small advantage over Chip Leader.

Those two continued to battle through the final sixteenth as Fast and Accurate faltered, but Camelot Kitten added a bit to his advantage with each stride, and prevailed over Chip Leader by a half-length. Fast and Accurate finished third, 2 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up.

Camelot Kitten stopped the clock in 1:49.76 over 1 1/8 miles on Turfway Park’s all-weather Polytrack surface. He paid $12.80 to win as the field’s third choice, getting a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

The victory improved Camelot Kitten’s lifetime record to six wins in 17 starts, and put him over the seven-figure earnings mark at $1,046,865. The Kentucky Cup Classic was the horse’s first race on a surface other than turf, and it reflected a positive turnaround since moving from the barn of trainer Chad Brown to that of Mike Maker at the start of the 2018 season.

“There was an honest pace up front, and he was able to capitalize on it,” Maker said. “Kitten’s Joy has had a ton of success on the synthetic, and we had other horses for other races, so we were just trying to split them up.”

This year’s Kentucky Cup Classic was the first since 2011, and was the race’s debut on the track’s winter/spring meet after previously residing during the track’s defunct September meet. It is the third win in the race for owner Ramsey Farm, which won in 2009 with Furthest Land, and in 2004 with Roses in May. Ramsey Farm also bred Camelot Kitten.

“We had a change of trainer, so I’m sure that had something to do with it, but Chad did a great job with him, and Mike’s just a little different,” Jeff Ramsey of Ramsey Farm said. “Horses just change and grow and get older, and different things work for them.”

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After the race, Grade 1-placed stakes winner The Truth or Else collapsed on the track and died while walking back to the barn, shortly after being eased to finish and running last. Trainer Kenny McPeek suspected the 6-year-old horse had suffered a heart attack.

Earlier in the card, Alternative Route won the $77,200 Rushaway Stakes following an eventful trip.

The 3-year-old Tiznow colt chased pacesetter Giant Humor from his outside hip, with Truth Be Tolled racing three wide. The two outside horses took command heading into the final turn, but Truth Be Tolled, already several paths off the rail, swung especially wide at the top of the stretch under jockey Euclyn Prentice Jr., and pushed late challengers Year of the Kitten and Road to Damascus out past the center of the track, each pinballing off each other.

Meanwhile, Alternative Route had a clear path to the wire, but did not respond well to a left-handed stick from jockey Mitchell Murrill and veered out several paths wide before the finish. However, with his chief rivals already disposed, he ran on to finish about a 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Truth Be Tolled. Year of the Kitten and Road to Damascus were each a neck behind for third and fourth.

After a series of objections, Truth Be Tolled was disqualified to fourth, moving Year of the Kitten up to second and Road to Damascus to third.

Alternative Route finished the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:46.38, and paid $17.20 to win.

The 3-year-old Tiznow colt improved his career record to two wins in four starts. He is owned by the partnership of Town and Country Farm and Spendthrift Farm, and trained by Al Stall Jr. He was bred in Ontario by William Graham.

Sky Flower won the $77,400 Latonia Stakes to kick off the day’s stakes schedule.

The 4-year-old Flower Alley filly pressured early leader Julerette from three wide on the outside after a half in 49.80, and looped past the begrudging pacesetter at the top of the stretch.

Jockey John McKee kept up the urging with a right-handed stick to draw off and win by 1 1/4 lengths. Purely a Dream rallied late from the far outside to nip You Cheated for the runner-up spot by a neck

Sky Flower stopped the clock in 1:38.81 for a mile, and paid $12 to win. Saturday's race was the filly's first start at Turfway, but her record over all-weather surfaces improved to six wins in five career starts.

Ronald Clark owns Sky Flower, trained by Gerald Brooks, who saddled his first stakes winner of 2018. She was bred in Kentucky by Candy Meadows.