Kera's Kitten too fast for WEBN rivals

Kera's Kitten sped straight to the lead and was never seriously threatened the rest of the way Saturday in capturing the at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

With Tommy Pompell riding for trainer Mike Maker, Kera's Kitten was a bit rank around the first turn of the one-mile Polytrack race but soon leveled off, maintaining an open lead and finishing 2 1/2 lengths before Slewzoom in a field of 12 3-year-olds. Lucky Chuck, the 3-1 favorite, was another 3 3/4 lengths back in third.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey are the breeders and owners of Kera's Kitten, a Kitten's Joy colt who returned $13.80 as fourth choice after finishing in 1:41.21.

Kera's Kitten entered the WEBN as the only non-restricted stakes winner in the field, having won a turf stakes in October at Retama Park, but he was coming off a seventh-place finish in the Jan. 2 Turfway Prevue after stumbling badly leaving the gate. He had no such problems Saturday.

"He can get a little anxious standing in the gate," Maker said from Florida.

Maker said Kera's Kitten is a logical candidate for the next two races in the Turfway series of 3-year-old races, the Feb. 27 John Battaglia Memorial and March 27 Lane's End Stakes.