Stephanie's Kitten gets loose, but avoids injury

ELMONT, N.Y. - Stephanie’s Kitten gave her connections a scare Sunday when she got loose following a workout at Belmont Park, but she was uninjured and remains on target for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita, trainer Chad Brown said Sunday.

Stephanie’s Kitten, the Grade 1 Flower Bowl winner, was leaving the Belmont turf course when she got spooked by a noise, wheeled, and unseated her exercise rider, Walter Malasquez. Stephanie’s Kitten ran back onto the course and went almost an entire lap around before being corralled by an outrider.

“Something hit the rail and spooked her and she wheeled from under him and ran back onto the turf course,” Brown said. “Luckily, she came back to us in fine shape, not a scratch on her. In that regard, we escaped what could have been an unfortunate incident with her. We have two weeks to the race, plenty of time to give her a proper work and go into the race the right way.”

During her five-furlong work, timed by Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch in 1:01.95, Stephanie’s Kitten had her head cocked, looking at her workmate, Danza Cavello.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2014: See DRF’s top contenders

“She has a tendency, occasionally, when she works to want to lay in or lug in a little bit; sometimes she does it, sometimes she doesn’t,” Brown said. “At the eighth pole it seemed like she was trying to do that and look at the other horse. My rider straightened her out and gave her a reminder and I thought near the wire really accelerated well and galloped out strong. Well set the work up a little bit differently next week.”

Stephanie’s Kitten was one of nine turf horses Brown is pointing to the Breeders’ Cup who worked over a good Belmont inner turf course Sunday. All the works were done around a triple set of orange cones, referred to as dogs. The course was labeled “good” for Sunday’s races.

While Stephanie’s Kitten was running up the stretch the wrong way, Startup Nation and Offering Plan, working towards a start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, were completing a five-eighths work in 1:01.95.

Brown said his riders “saw the situation but [Stephanie’s Kitten] was so far on the outside rail they just continued to work. They didn’t feel like their work was impeded much.”

Brown also worked a quartet for the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Lady Eli, the potential favorite for the race, worked five furlongs in company with Tammy the Torpedo in 1:01.60. Brown has been on the fence with Tammy the Torpedo but felt she worked well enough to strongly consider pre-entering her in the race.

Partisan Politics and the European import Sivoliere got the last half-mile of their work in 48.25 seconds, according to Welsch.

Dayatthespa, Brown’s other starter for the Filly and Mare Turf, worked a solid half-mile in 47.76 seconds, according to Welsch. Brown called that work “spectacular.”

Bobby’s Kitten, pointing for the Turf Sprint, worked five furlongs in 1:00.81.

“He seems to be coming into the Breeders’ Cup in good shape,” Brown said.

- additional reporting by Mike Welsch