Woodbine: Kitty's Got Class exciting prospect in Victorian Queen

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mike DePaulo looks loaded for bear in Saturday’s $125,000 Victorian Queen Stakes at Woodbine, when he runs the uncoupled duo of Kitty’s Got Class and Bear’s Wit in the six-furlong dash for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies.

Kitty’s Got Class came inside from a stalking position to win her Sept. 11 debut in a six-furlong maiden special with authority. Her time of 1:11.42 translated into a 53 Beyer Figure.

“She can really run,” DePaulo said. “I expected her to run good, but I didn’t expect her to win by 8 1/4 lengths. She’s just got a lot of ability.”

Kitty’s Got Class, a daughter of the popular sire Old Forester, cost just $2,500 as a yearling. DePaulo said she was a “skinny, fine filly” as a yearling, but that “she’s muscled up into a pretty good-looking racehorse.”

“She had some kind of vetting issue in the sale, which is why we got her so cheap,” he said.

DePaulo raved about Kitty’s Got Class’s five-furlong breeze in 1:00.80 on Sept. 25.

“She worked super,” DePaulo said. “I worked her with a 2-year-old colt that I thought could run a bit, and she schooled him.”

Bear’s Wit rallied to win her June 18 debut, which came in a slow five-furlong maiden special. She subsequently finished up the track in the Shady Well Stakes, but was able to garner some black type when a distant third in the Aug. 7 Nandi Stakes. She had a wide trip last time when fifth in another restricted stakes, the seven-furlong Muskoka.

“She didn’t run any kind of number when she broke her maiden, but I think she’ll gradually improve.” DePaulo said. “She made a move on the outside in the Muskoka, and then stalled a little, but it was actually a much-improved race. I don’t know if she’s good enough to win a stakes, but she’s going to win some Ontario-sired allowance races.”

Notacloudinthesky, the probable favorite, graduated second time out with the addition of blinkers, and then registered a dominating seven-length victory in the six-furlong Nandi.

“She ran very green first time out,” said trainer Josie Carroll. “She was looking at everything. When we put the blinkers on, it focused her a little, and she improved tremendously.”

Notacloudinthesky was the 4-5 favorite while breaking from the dreaded 1-hole in the Sept. 5 Muskoka. She failed to show speed in the race, and was stuck in traffic on the backstretch before mounting a mild wide bid to end up fourth.