Faraway Kitten earns shot at Grade 1

Faraway Kitten continued his midsummer rise, winning his second straight stakes race, the American Derby, on Saturday at Arlington, and now a colt who as a yearling failed to meet a $35,000 reserve at auction has a date set for the Grade 1 Secretariat on Aug. 10 at Arlington.

The Secretariat was changed from a 1 1/4-mile to a one-mile race this year owing to the creation of the Saratoga Derby, which is expected to draw the best East Coast horses in the division.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the owners and breeders, and trainer Mike Maker dropped Faraway Kitten in for a $50,000 claiming tag in May, and that coincided with the colt’s ascent. He overcame a tough trip to win the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby on June 22 at Canterbury and was up by a neck Saturday in the $150,000 American Derby. The race rated below par on the Beyer Speed Figure scale, producing just an 80.

“He’s just a big, late-maturing horse who’s coming around,” said Maker, who reported Faraway Kitten had come out his race well. “Yeah, he’s been a pleasant surprise.”

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