Churchill Downs: Stephanie's Kitten joining Chad Brown's barn in Florida

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The standout turf filly Stephanie’s Kitten is scheduled to be sent Friday from Ramsey Farm in Kentucky to the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida, where she will have a new trainer in Chad Brown.

Owner-breeder Ken Ramsey said he and his wife, Sarah, are looking to win a divisional Eclipse Award in 2014 with Stephanie’s Kitten and that “probably the best way to do that is have her based in New York” later in the year after Brown leaves Florida in early spring.

Stephanie’s Kitten was trained by Wayne Catalano for her first 13 races, resulting in 7 wins and earnings of more than $1.6 million. Among her victories are the Grade 1 Alcibiades and Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at 2; the Grade 2 Lake Placid at 3; and the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile and Grade 1 Just a Game this year at 4.

Stephanie’s Kitten is one of the numerous star horses sired by the Ramseys’ stallion, Kitten’s Joy. She has not raced since finishing a close third in the Grade 1 Diana on July 27 at Saratoga.

“She’s been at our farm since shortly after that race, getting some rehabilitation,” said Ramsey. “I’d like to have her race once at Gulfstream this winter and then come back here to Keeneland to run in the Jenny Wiley in April before she heads up to New York.”

Catalano trains a sizable number of horses for the Ramseys and will continue to do so. Although he also has a stable in Florida every winter and has been keeping many of his better horses at Keeneland and Churchill Downs in the spring and fall, Catalano’s main summer base is Arlington Park, which Ramsey said “is not very conducive to Eclipse voters thinking about champion horses. This move is just something I felt I should do.”