Felt in Pocket earns way into Appalachian Stakes

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Trainer Eoin Harty has a talented 3-year-old filly in Felt in Pocket, who surged to a 2 1/2-length victory last Friday in a first-level optional $75,000 claimer on turf. That effort has him pointing Felt in Pocket to the Grade 3 Appalachian Stakes, a one-mile turf race for sophomore fillies at Keeneland on April 14.

Harty had wanted to run the daughter of Hat Trick in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 12, but when that race drew a full field, she was excluded because she had earned only $19,160 from her first five starts. But last Friday under jockey Daniel Centeno, Felt in Pocket showed that she belongs in stakes, scoring impressively as the 2.30-1 favorite in a field of 10 sophomore fillies.

Felt in Pocket’s time of 1:42.07 for 1 1/16 miles was 0.13 seconds faster than Baciami Piccola posted in winning the Florida Oaks. Both races were run on a firm turf course. Felt in Pocket got a career-best 73 Beyer Speed Figure last Friday, while Baciami Piccola got a 78 in the Florida Oaks.

In Felt in Pocket’s previous start here Feb. 17, at the same level as last Friday’s race, she finished second to eventual Florida Oaks runner-up Enjoy Yourself. In her first local start in December, she finished a close third to Spinamiss, who would go on to finish second in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park before being scratched from the Florida Oaks.

“Her form is very good, and she’s run against some tough fillies,” Harty said. “She has a big turn of foot, and with her style of running, she has to have a bit of luck in her races, and she hadn’t. Everything went right Friday, and she got a good ride from Daniel Centeno and drew off. She has a good kick, and in turf racing, that’s a huge benefit. She doesn’t have any distance limitations. She has a stayer’s pedigree and will run all day.”

For her career, Felt in Pocket has won two of six starts for $30,760. Harty, the filly’s trainer and owner, purchased her for $20,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in September 2014. She was bred in Kentucky by J.D. Squires – the breeder of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos – in partnership with H. Smoot Fahlgren.

“She was very athletic-looking, had a very deep girth and a very good walk,” Harty said of his decision to buy Felt in Pocket. “I certainly wasn’t blown away by her pedigree, but with that in mind, I didn’t have to overspend on her, and I knew she’d be worth every bit of $20,000.”

◗ Towpath and Kutschman, separated by a nose when third and fourth in a $40,000 claimer for non-winners of two on turf here Feb. 28, will meet again Wednesday in race 7, a $25,000 claimer for non-winners of two races. The one-mile turf race drew a field of nine older horses.

Towpath, a 4-year-old Curlin gelding trained by Arnaud Delacour, and Kutschman, a 4-year-old Flower Alley gelding trained by Benny Feliciano, each scored a career-best 81 Beyer on Feb. 28, making them top contenders in this field.