Gulfstream Park: Storming Inti nips We Miss Artie in Kitten's Joy Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sunday’s $100,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes had the makings of a pretty contentious race, and the 1 1/16-mile turf fixture for 3-year-olds lived up to its advance billing. After setting the early pace, Storming Inti reasserted himself in deep stretch after relinquishing the lead to co-favorite We Miss Artie, ultimately winning the head bob on the wire, with Cabo Cat finishing another 1 1/4 lengths back in third.

Storming Inti, a son of Stormy Atlantic, was allowed to relax on the lead and set a relatively softer early pace of 23.99 seconds and 48.64 by jockey Alan Garcia while prompted early by Rope a Dope. We Miss Artie, shuffled back a bit around the opening turn while racing along the inside, was eased out once settling down the backstretch by Javier Castellano to race within easy striking distance of the lead.

We Miss Artie engaged Storming Inti approaching the quarter pole and stuck his head in front between calls at midstretch. But Storming Inti dug in bravely, fought back, and narrowly prevailed in the final strides. Cabo Cat was left with a little too much to do coming off the final turn, finishing willingly down the center of the track before ultimately falling short with his bid.

The win was the fourth in a row and the second straight stakes victory for Storming Inti, who is owned by Santa Rosa Racing Stable and trained by Chad Brown. He paid $5.80.

Ken Ramsey, who campaigned Kitten’s Joy and now stands the nation’s leading stallion at stud, presented the trophy to the connections of Storming Inti. Ramsey and his wife, Sarah, are also the owners of runner-up We Miss Artie.

“I was going to ask Ken if we get a season to the stallion if we won the stakes, but I think all we’re getting is the trophy,” Brown quipped after the race. “He’s not giving those away.”

Brown said Storming Inti has shown a similar gameness in the morning during workouts as he did in the stretch run of the Kitten’s Joy.

“He doesn’t like to be passed,” Brown said. “We saw that early on with this horse. In his last race, he was hooked in the lane, and he came back. He had a stiffer test from a better racehorse today, and he showed up. I thought Alan really nursed him nicely down the backside and reserved some energy for the stretch. It worked out great.”