Luck of the Kitten leads smaller field for redrawn Transylvania
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Let’s try this again.
After an opening-day deluge at Keeneland forced cancellation of the Grade 3, $100,000 Transylvania Stakes, the race favorites will be back Wednesday to compete amid more pleasant conditions.
Luck of the Kitten, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last fall, is among the principals in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes, along with Night Prowler and A Lot. Whereas 13 3-year-olds were in the original draft on April 3, just seven are back in the entries, with Eh Cumpari and Divisidero among the notable defectors.
Luck of the Kitten and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith figure to take tons of catching, assuming the colt performs the way he did in the Breeders’ Cup. Bred and owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the son of Kitten’s Joy was based at Turfway Park this winter, where he had four workouts over Polytrack. Postponement of the Transylvania allowed trainer Wesley Ward to get two more works into him here at Keeneland in the interim, including a team drill Sunday with his Breeders’ Cup conqueror Hootenanny.
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“I thought we were ready opening day,” said Ward, “but these last two works sure can’t hurt.”
The weather isn’t supposed to be as nice here this week as it was Saturday and Sunday, with intermittent showers and high temperatures in the upper 60s in the forecast Monday through at least Thursday.
First post Wednesday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the Transylvania, the eighth of nine races, set for 4:42. This will be the 27th running of the Transylvania, which is named for the local university founded in 1780.
KEY CONTENDERS
Luck of the Kitten (Last 3 Beyers: 79-84-74)
◗ This free-running colt might face some early pressure from Tuba or Top of the Page, but otherwise, he looks like the dominant speed in here, and no doubt the classiest.
◗ A wire-to-wire stakes score over the Santa Anita turf in October was followed by his big effort in the Breeders’ Cup, when Hootenanny forged past him in the final 100 yards.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Luck of the Kitten. Trainer Wesley Ward is 31-4-2-3 with a $0.90 ROI over the past five years in turf routes following a layoff of 120 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Night Prowler (Last 3 Beyers: 74-80-75)
◗ He was fifth as the favorite in the Grade 3 Palm Beach after what trainer Chad Brown described as “a nightmare trip.” Before that, the Paul Pompa Jr. homebred notched his first career stakes win in the Grade 3 Dania Beach. He, too, had a useful local work after this race was postponed.
A Lot (Last 3 Beyers: 85-79-68)
◗ With a last-out romp in a Gulfstream Park optional claimer, this son of the red-hot sire Tapit is showing signs of becoming yet another high-class turf runner in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Saham. His maiden victory has come back strong, with also-rans going 5-3-1-0 in their next starts. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan