Kathynmarissa all heart in hard-fought Flower Bowl victory
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ELMONT, N.Y. − A 75-day layoff, a slow pace, and a quality opponent in front of her in the stretch would have been good reasons for Kathynmarissa to come up a bit short in Thursday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park.
But in this, her 5-year-old season, Kathynmarissa has raised her game to a new level and defeat wasn’t going to be an option. Under Jose Ortiz, who continues to come up big on the biggest days, Kathynmarissa kept on coming through the lane and rallied by Sunlit Uplands late to win the Flower Bowl by three-quarters of a length. It was the same margin back to longshot Evershed, who was a neck in front of even longer shot Favorite Memory.
The win was the third in four starts this year for Kathynmarissa, adding the Flower Bowl to earlier season victories in the Grade 1 Diana and Grade 3 Modesty. The win also earned Kathynmarissa a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 31 where she will likely be North America’s top candidate for the race won six of the last seven years by European-based runners.
Chad Brown, who has won the BC Filly and Mare Turf four times, trains Kathynmarissa. On Thursday, Brown won his ninth Flower Bowl.
“This filly has just been a model of consistency, so much heart,” said Brown, who trains Kathynmarissa for Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso. “The pace was against her today a bit, and the runner-up had the jump on her; this filly didn’t have to get there. I just think the last 70 yards was just heart for this horse. And that’s what I see in the morning. She has a lot of heart this horse, she’s a very solid horse, that just wants to do right, wants to win and she wants to just leave it all on the race track. I’m very proud of her.”
Kathynmarissa was sixth, about 5 1/2 lengths off the pace, and three wide down the backstretch while Opulent Restraint, under Javier Castellano, set fractions of 23.64 seconds for the quarter, 48.29 for the half and 1:12.15 for six furlongs. Cathedral, also trained by Brown was stalking from second with Storm Miami and Sunlit Uplands closely behind.
Sunlit Uplands, under Rossa Ryan, struck the front in upper stretch, but Kathynmarissa, put in the clear by Ortiz, kept on coming until she got to the wire first.
Kathynmarissa, a daughter of American Pharoah, covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.58 and returned $4.68 as the 6-5 favorite.
“On the first turn I was where I wanted to be and then I saw a spot [on the backside] where I wanted to be so I dropped in behind [Sunlit Uplands],” Ortiz said. “After that I was right where I wanted. Passing the half-mile pole, I asked her to creep up a little bit to her and I said ‘I’m not going to wait anymore,’ I have the horse I had to beat in front of me I decided to put her in the clear and let her get into that beautiful stride and she did. I just wish the Flower Bowl was a Grade 1.”
The victory was Ortiz’s third graded stakes win on the card − and 32 of the year − which included a Grade 1 victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Minaret Station. Ortiz may go to the Breeders’ Cup with faster horses, but he may not go there with any more determination than Kathynmarissa.
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