King: Good trip makes Kitten's Roar capable in Suwannee River

A quick glance at the last-race past-performance line of Kitten’s Roar, entered in Saturday’s Grade 3 Suwannee River at Gulfstream Park, might suggest she underachieved when culminating her 2017 season with an eighth in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Del Mar on Nov. 26. But that quick glance wouldn’t do her justice.

A deeper look into the race suggests she can be forgiven for the rear-half finish, having drawn the outside post in a field of 12 with a short run to the first turn. This unlucky draw gave her jockey that day, John Velazquez, few options other than to get her involved early in an attempt to clear traffic to her inside, a move that was unsuccessful. The move took her out of her game. She chased a quick pace, and was hung three to four wide around both turns.

She had the widest trip in the race, covering 35 more feet than the victorious Off Limits, who rallied from last up the inside on the second turn.

Would Kitten’s Roar have won had she traded trips with the winner? Probably not, but it is not unreasonable to think she could have finished in the money.

Now, facing lesser competition and going the longer 1 1/8-mile distance on grass in the Suwannee River, Kitten’s Roar looks ready to give a far better effort. There is a longer run to the first turn in this race than in the Matriarch, and the race composition suggests jockey Luis Saez ought to be able to tuck her right behind logical front-runners Midnight Crossing and Ultra Brat.

Two of Kitten’s Roar’s four breezes this winter at Gulfstream Park were slow, which lessens my enthusiasm somewhat, but at least she ran well following short layoffs last year, with close finishes in graded company when fourth in the Jenny Wiley, third in the New York Handicap, and fifth in the Beverly D. Her Beyer Speed Figures in those races were among her best.

Money Multiplier in Gulfstream Park Turf

Another 1 1/8-mile stakes on grass Saturday holds betting appeal when Money Multiplier returns from a layoff in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf.

Although coming off sour notes last year when eighth in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and fourth in the Red Smith Handicap, Money Multiplier and Heart to Heart seem to be the class of the race. Heart to Heart, though, isn’t as well suited to 1 1/8 miles as Money Multiplier.

Money Multiplier recorded his lone victory from four starts last year in the Monmouth Stakes at this distance, and that win came in his first start of the year.

Look for him to be cranked for this comeback from the Nov. 11 Red Smith. The Gulfstream Park Turf is a Grade 1 race, the kind of race a horse needs to win to gain value in the stud world, and it may represent his best chance to win at this level because divisional leaders World Approval, Beach Patrol, and Sadler’s Joy are not in the field.

Devine Entry in Jimmy Winkfield

It is not uncommon to see a horse relax after surging to the lead from off the pace, but Devine Entry – my choice in Saturday’s Jimmy Winkfield Stakes at Aqueduct – does this to the extreme. He doesn’t just take it easy once hitting the front, he almost welcomes his rivals to pass him.

So, whydo I like him Saturday? Because he seems capable of so much more than he has shown if a jockey commits to making the last move.

Additionally, the presence of the legitimate speed horses Jumpmaster, A Different Style, and California Night should give him targets to chase, and perhaps one or more of them can carry him to inside the sixteenth pole. And from there, it will be up to his new jockey, Junior Alvarado, to time his move effectively.