Meet Miss Kitty still going strong at 9

At the age of 9, most mares would be long retired from racing and into a second career as a broodmare. Then there’s Meet Miss Kitty, who began her career as a 5-year-old in 2016 and is still on the racetrack and winning.

In February, Meet Miss Kitty recorded a 41-1 win in an allowance race for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs at Golden Gate Fields. Saturday, Meet Miss Kitty starts in a similar race at six furlongs, part of a 10-race program at Golden Gate Fields that begins at 12:45 p.m. Pacific.

Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Meet Miss Kitty is trained by Cliff DeLima for Barbara DeLima. Meet Miss Kitty’s surprise win in February was her sixth in her 39 starts but first outside of a race for claimers. She followed that victory with an eighth-place finish in an allowance race March 14, emerging from the race with illness, Cliff DeLima said.

Meet Miss Kitty has not started since March 14. Golden Gate Fields ceased racing by order of Alameda County health officials in late March because of the coronavirus outbreak and resumed Thursday.

Meet Miss Kitty, who will be ridden by Francisco Monroy, tends to run from a closing position. She used that style to win a starter allowance at 5 1/2 furlongs at Golden Gate Fields in December at 24-1.

“She’s really training good right now, better than she has been,” DeLima said. “She’s really sharp.”

Cliff and Barbara DeLima, who bred Meet Miss Kitty, also run Myangelcindy, who drew the outside post in a field of nine. Myangelcindy, 6, is winless in her three starts this year and was second in the same race Meet Miss Kitty finished eighth on March 14.

Myangelcindy did not race for all of 2019 because of injury, DeLima said.

“She has speed,” he said. “She’ll run a good race.”

Myangelcindy could face pressure from Dearborn, who was second in a $35,000 claimer for nonwinners of three at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Santa Anita in February. Trained by Jeff Bonde, Dearborn will be ridden by Kyle Frey, who was based at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

Frey was the champion apprentice jockey of 2011.

The allowance race will be the first start since August for Into the South, a 4-year-old filly who was winless in five races last year.

Into the South was second as the 7-2 favorite in an allowance race with a $75,000 claiming option at Churchill Downs last May in her final start for trainer Ignacio Correas. In one subsequent start, for current trainer Michael McCarthy, Into the South finished fifth of seven in an optional claimer at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar last August.

Into the South has been working at Santa Anita since early February, including a half-mile in 47 seconds on April 19, the fastest of 50 works at the distance there that day.