Litfin's preview: Katie's Garden the one to beat in Punkin Pie
Katie’s Garden, a lightly raced and improving 4-year-old, is the one to beat in race 7, the $100,000 Punkin Pie Stakes at seven furlongs.
Katie’s Garden returned from a layoff at Saratoga to post her third straight win, beating second-level allowance sprinters with a new Beyer Speed Figure top of 89. In her subsequent start here opening weekend, she edged forward to another new top of 93 when second best in the one-mile Sky Beauty. Following a bullet workout last week for John Shirreffs, she is sitting on ready.
Classic Point, who led to the final strides of the Punkin Pie a year ago, makes her second start back from a layoff, after being transferred from Allen Jerkens to his son, Jimmy Jerkens. The 5-year-old mare puts blinkers on after chasing blazing fractions in the Gallant Bloom Handicap and projects as a strong part of the pace with Voodoo Tales, who has been sidelined since back-to-back wins in early summer by a combined 16 lengths.
Wide-open Pebbles
The $200,000 Pebbles (race 9) is scheduled for the Widener turf at one mile and figures to be run on ground something other than firm. The course was yielding Saturday and Sunday, and the weather prognosticators were calling for a chance of more showers during the 10-race Columbus Day program.
Kenzadargent, a French import from Martin Schwartz and Chad Brown, recently has rolled through two allowance conditions, and it may bode well that her lone win overseas came on yielding turf.
But there is no shortage of fillies with good form on boggy going: Four of the five Irish-breds in the race – Cash For Ever, Indian Rainbow, Lady Lara, and Ubiquitous Mantle – all won on yielding or soft turf in Europe; the other, Sandiva, is a Group 3 stakes winner on good ground.
Pick six carryover
Constitution (2-5) and Annecdote (1-1) both went down to defeat Sunday, helping to produce a one-day pick six carryover of $29,967.
The pick six begins with race 5 at 2:54 p.m. Eastern.
Horse to watch
MAWTHOOQ
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Last race: Oct. 11, 6th
Finish: 2nd by 7
Beyer: 78
This $850,000 yearling buy was jostled at the break, raced wide, and rallied to be clearly best of the rest behind the odds-on Ready for Rye in a promising juvenile debut in the slop.