Juvenile Turf: Camelot Kitten using Bourbon as stepping-stone

Ken Ramsey is known for astutely playing the claiming game. One of his more significant acquisitions came when he picked up Celestial Woods, a winning Forestry mare, for $25,000 out of her career finale, a runner-up effort at Churchill Downs in November 2007.

Sent to the court of the Ramseys’ homebred turf champion, Kitten’s Joy, Celestial Woods has produced four winners from as many starters. Her pair of stakes winners includes Bobby’s Kitten, who last year rallied to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

The latest from the family to join the fray is Camelot Kitten. The colt, who, like older full brother Bobby’s Kitten, is trained by Chad Brown, was an impressive winner in his career debut Sept. 12 at Belmont Park. Fifth in the field of six at the five-sixteenths pole, Camelot Kitten rallied impressively, engaged in a late duel with leader Steamboat Bill, and edged clear to win by a neck.

He has subsequently been pointed to the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes on opening weekend at Keeneland. The race is a Win and You’re In automatic qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, also at Keeneland, less than four weeks afterward.

“The horse trains real well,” Brown said. “We’ve always liked him all summer. He was just a little later developing. I couldn’t quite have him ready for Saratoga. He’s developed nicely. He’s really showed up every breeze.”

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A Breeders’ Cup victory by Camelot Kitten would make Celestial Woods just the fourth broodmare to produce multiple Breeders’ Cup winners. Primal Force produced 1998 Classic winner Awesome Again and 2000 Juvenile winner Macho Uno; Hasili is the dam of Banks Hill and Intercontinental, who won the Filly and Mare Turf in 2001 and 2005; and Sweet Life produced 2004 Juvenile Fillies winner Sweet Catomine and 2009 Ladies’ Classic (Distaff) winner Life Is Sweet.

It’s no surprise that Celestial Woods has developed into a high-end turf broodmare. She is out of a half-sister to champion Paradise Creek and Grade 1 winners Forbidden Apple and Wild Event. Their dam, North of Eden, is a half-sister to champion Theatrical and to Grade 1 winner Taiki Blizzard. It is also the immediate family of Grade/Group 1 winners David Junior and Eden’s Moon.

◗ The Juvenile Turf picked up a major new contender last weekend in Isotherm, who wore down a game Azar by a neck to take the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park. Isotherm, who was coming off a maiden special weight win at Saratoga, is trained by George Weaver.

Another neck back in third after contending with traffic was Ray’s the Bar, who was making his first start in the United States after winning his career debut in England.

◗ At this time of year, surface and distance experiments come into play as the juvenile divisions sort themselves out. Hollywood Don, a stakes winner on turf, tried dirt for the first time when third in last Saturday’s Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes. Trainer Peter Miller indicated that the colt will be cross-entered in the Juvenile and Juvenile Turf, with first preference given to the Juvenile Turf.

Expected Ruler won the Tyro Stakes sprinting on the Monmouth turf in his debut before finishing 11th in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs after pressing the pace. Trainer Liam Benson – a 20-year-old University of Louisville student – said this week he’ll put his stable star back on turf for the Bourbon.

Sheikh of Sheikhs, who won his only career start on dirt at Saratoga, is nominated to both the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on dirt and the Bourbon. Trainer Wesley Ward said the colt’s owners would prefer the Futurity, but he said he’s keen to try Sheikh of Sheikhs on turf.

“He kind of gallops like a grass horse, so I kind of want to try him on the grass,” Ward said. “The way he moves over the grass is unbelievable.”