Stephanie's Kitten gets rabbit's help for New York Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. - The late-running Stephanie’s Kitten will have a little help in the form of a rabbit named Kitten’s Queen when she returns to Belmont Park in Friday’s Grade 2, $300,000 New York Stakes.

Stephanie’s Kitten and her friend will run as a coupled entry and figure to be favored in a field of nine entered Sunday for Friday’s New York at 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf.

“She was put in there as a pacemaker. We’ll see how it turns out,” said Chad Brown, who trains both mares for Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

The New York is one of five stakes carded for Friday’s 10-race card. The others are the Grade 2, $250,000 True North, the $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, the $250,000 Tremont, and the $150,000 Jersey Girl Stakes. First post Friday is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

The last time Stephanie’s Kitten raced at Belmont Park, she won the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational, a useful prep for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, where she finished second to stablemate Dayatthespa.

Stephanie’s Kitten won her only start this year – the Grade 3 Hillsborough at Tampa – before being scratched out of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on Derby Day against males.

John Velazquez will ride Stephanie’s Kitten from post 8.

Trainer Bill Mott will send out the uncoupled entry of Riposte, who won this race last year, and White Rose. Mott is adding blinkers to Riposte’s equipment.

Trainer Christophe Clement will also send out a pair in Beauty Parlor and Maximova. Also entered are Selenite, Waltzing Matlida, and Eastern Belle.

Clearly Now tops True North

Clearly Now, a multiple graded stakes winner at Belmont Park who showed signs of life in his last start here, tops a field of eight entered in Friday’s Grade 2, $250,000 True North Stakes at six furlongs.

The race lost its probable favorite – and defending winner – when trainer Linda Rice said Palace was suffering from a throat infection and would miss the race and will be turned out for a few weeks. Rice did enter the New York-bred Captain Serious in the True North.

Clearly Now won the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint last summer and the Grade 3 Bold Ruler in the fall of 2013. Last out, he was beaten a neck by Stallwalkin’ Dude in the Diablo Stakes. Stallwalkin’ Dude is entered back in this spot.

Also entered in the True North are Favorite Tale, Tenango, Dads Caps, Eastwood, and Rock Fall.

Eleven go in Belmont Gold Cup

Unitarian, winner of the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at two miles at Gulfstream Park in January, will again try that distance in Friday’s $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, the last of 10 races on Friday’s card.

His competition will include Artic North and Reflecting, who finished second and third, respectively, in the Allen Jerkens, as well as Dynamic Sky, who finished second, a head in front of Unitarian, in the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland.

Others entered include Innovation Economy, Comes the Dream, Red Rifle, Arctic North, Diplomat, Morning Calm, Manchurian High, and Tattenham.

Also on Friday:

Ten juveniles – eight males, two females – were entered for the $250,000 Tremont Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Wesley Ward’s two fillies – Banree and Moment Is Right – were both debut winners at Keeneland against males. Moment Is Right is cross-entered in Thursday’s $250,000 Astoria Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, which drew a field of six.

Uncle Vinny, a debut winner on May 21 for trainer Todd Pletcher, was entered in the Tremont which means he would be running back in two weeks.

Seven 3-year-old fillies, most of whom are attempting to bounce back from dismal efforts in their most recent starts, were entered in the $150,000 Jersey Girl Stakes at six furlongs.

Cavorting, a Grade 2 winner at age 2, most recently finished ninth in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at a mile for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Enchanting Lady, trained by Bob Baffert, is trying to bounce back from a ninth-place finish in the Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs.