Kathleen Rose eyes Royal Heroine

ARCADIA, Calif. – A victory in an optional claimer on turf Thursday has put Kathleen Rose on course for her graded stakes debut in the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes for fillies and mares next month.

Trainer Mike Machowsky said the Grade 2 Royal Heroine over a mile on turf June 28 will provide a class test for Kathleen Rose.

“We’re going to keep going up now” in class, Machowsky said. “We might look at the Royal Heroine. It’s a Grade 2, and that goes a long way for fillies.”

In Thursday’s race over a mile, Kathleen Rose ($16.20) led throughout and won by 1 1/2 lengths over Rhagori, the 4-5 favorite.

Machowsky scratched Kathleen Rose from the Fran’s Valentine Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares in favor of Thursday’s race. He said Kathleen Rose could revert to stakes for California-breds during the Del Mar summer season.