Puddifoot primed to take on more experienced rivals in Crank it Up Stakes

Two fillies with turf-sprint stakes wins on their résumés and another who is undefeated but has yet to race this season or on grass are the most intriguing contenders in Saturday’s $60,000 Crank It Up Stakes at Monmouth Park.

The 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint drew a field of 10 3-year-old fillies and goes as the last of 12 races on the program at 6:26 p.m. Eastern.
Knit One Purr Too, the winner of the $100,000 Stormy Blues Stakes at Pimlico in April, and Secret Kitten, the dominant winner of her turf debut in a five-furlong stakes last summer at Calder, are logical contenders. But is either one as talented as the long-idle Puddifoot?

As a 2-year-old last fall, Puddifoot easily won her maiden going six furlongs on the main track at Monmouth and then went to Gulfstream Park, where she romped by six lengths in a restricted stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt. She shows three straight bullet workouts on the main track locally for trainer Eddie Plesa.

On the plus side, Puddifoot is a half-sister to Got the Last Laugh, who finished second in a 7 1/2-furlong turf stakes and won the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity on Polytrack. On the negative side, Plesa is 0 for his last 10 with turf sprinters returning from a break of more than 180 days.

The Maryland-based Knit One Purr Too is back with straight 3-year-olds after setting the pace until deep stretch against older horses in The Very One Stakes at Pimlico three weeks ago. Trainer Dane Kobiskie shows a 3-for-9 record (33 percent) with a high $8.93 return on investment with turf sprinters back in 21 days or fewer.

Secret Kitten switches surfaces and makes just her second start of the season after flashing early speed and stopping in the six-furlong Inaugural Stakes on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Presque Isle Downs almost a month ago. From a limited sampling, trainer Kathleen O’Connell is 1 for 13 with horses going from synthetic to turf.

Hot Squeeze, who finished a neck behind Knit One Purr Too at Pimlico two starts ago, will be coming back six days after dueling up front and fading to eighth in a first-level allowance sprint for New York-breds at Belmont.