Ramsey stablemates fit well in turf allowance
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ken Ramsey enjoyed one of his patented yuk-it-up moments Thursday when presenting Rosie Napravnik with a bouquet of roses in the winner’s circle after Coalport carried his red-and-white silks to victory in the seventh race at Keeneland.
The happy occasion coincided with Napravnik’s third wedding anniversary to trainer Joe Sharp, and Ramsey played it for all it was worth. Heaven knows what he has in mind for Sunday if he returns to familiar territory after being represented by a strong stable coupling in the nominal feature, a $66,000 classified allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland turf.
Emotional Kitten, trained by Wesley Ward, and Awesome Flower, trained by Mike Maker, are among the 10 fillies and mares entered in the eighth of nine races. Both are favorably drawn toward the hedge in posts 1 and 3 in the last of three allowances on the card.
Emotional Kitten, a homebred 4-year-old by Kitten’s Joy, is perhaps the strongest of the pair, even though she hasn’t won since capturing the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere last fall at Churchill Downs. All five of her races this year have come in graded stakes company, so the drop into the allowance ranks represents major class relief.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Emotional Kitten. Trainer Wesley Ward is 33-2-5-2 with a $0.85 ROI over the past five years in turf routes at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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The other Sunday allowances, both for 3-year-olds and up, are a first-level turf marathon (race 5) and a second-level, main-track race at seven furlongs (race 7).
After Sunday, Keeneland goes dark for two days before another five-day week resumes Wednesday. First post daily is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.
Race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Emotional Kitten (Last 3 Beyers: 84-89-74)
◗ Ward, who shows solid percentages in all the categories relevant to this race, has gotten a couple of local grass works into this Pennsylvania-bred recently. She doesn’t face anyone named Emollient, Abaco, or Discreet Marq in here; looking to overmatch them with her class edge.
Awesome Flower (Last 3 Beyers: 92-84-90)
◗ Maryland-bred mare has done her best work over synthetics, but with the decline of those surfaces, maybe she will just have to settle for paying her way on turf. Has been a force in low-end stakes in recent months when usually finding a niche; sure does fit at this class level.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1A Awesome Flower. Trainer Mike Maker is 20-1-4-2 with a $0.58 ROI over the past five years going from synthetic to turf at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Honey Hues (Last 3 Beyers: 56-85-87)
◗ Late-July debacle in the Indiana soup is an obvious throw-out, as she has been regrouped with five workouts in the interim at her Churchill base by Bernie Flint. Mare just loves to play come-catch-me on the front end.
Northern Passion (Last 3 Beyers: 82-87-82)
◗ Ontario-bred mare has won a handful of minor stakes, both on Polytrack and turf, for Mark Casse, the leading trainer here in the spring. It seems worth noting that her lone attempt on the Keeneland turf was a respectable one versus Grade 1 types Somali Lemonade and Filimbi.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Hot Tempo. Trainer Al Stall is 10-2-2-2 with a $4.58 ROI over the past five years in turf routes at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan