Don Juan Kitten Edges Bye Bye Melvin in Murphy
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Photo: Jim Duley/Maryland Jockey Club
Don Juan Kitten (inside) and Bye Bye Melvin hit the wire in the James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico Race Course
In a replay of the Aug. 29 Saranac Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course, Don Juan Kitten and Bye Bye Melvin dueled to a tight photo finish in the Oct. 3 James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. While Alex Campbell's homebred Bye Bye Melvin got the nod at the Spa, this time Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred Don Juan Kitten got the bob in Baltimore. The 3-year-old son of top sire Kitten's Joy covered the mile on yielding going in 1:42.24. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Reconvene in third.
Gabe Saez was aboard Don Juan Kitten for the first time in the Murphy, getting the call from trainer Danny Gargan. His goal was to put the frontrunning gray/roan on the lead.
"I wanted to get him to relax down the backstretch. He was a little rank against the bit, but I was able to get him to finish up the way I wanted to. It was a little close, but we got the job done," Saez said. "He's the type of horse that has to be right on it or close. I just wanted to make sure he broke sharp."
Don Juan Kitten broke well and sparred with Oceans Map early before opening what appeared an insurmountable lead in the stretch, but Bye Bye Melvin was relentless under John Velazquez. He nearly got there.
The winner, who went off at 5-2, is out of the Not For Love mare Romance Project. He has three wins from seven starts and has earned $187,900 while getting his initial stakes score.
Video: James W. Murphy S. (BT)
Catman Holds On in Laurel Futurity
Catman, a 10-1 shot under Daniel Centeno, held off the late surge of Wootton Asset to win the $150,000 Laurel Futurity for 2-year-olds on the turf Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course. The winner, a son of Kitten's Joy trained by Mike Maker, covered the 1 1/16 miles on yielding turf in 1:50.51 and was a nose better than his Graham Motion-trained rival. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Kidnapped in third.
The winner, out of Fab Flowers (Lewis Michael ), races for Paradise Farms, David Staudacher, John Piehowicz, Angelo Carlesimo, and Maker. Bred by Steve Feiger and the Ramseys, the Laurel Futurity winner sold twice at public auction. The bay colt was a $65,000 purchase in 2019 at the The July Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale in Lexington, by Owls Bloodstock from Taylor Made Sales Agency, and was purchased by Maker for $85,000 this year at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training from Wavertree Stables.
Catman wins the Laurel Futurity
Making his third start, Catman stalked the pace set by Nautilus early, fought for the lead, and got it in early stretch, then had to dig in to get the $90,000 winner's share. The win was his first in three starts, having run second in his previous start, a maiden special weight Sept. 12 at Kentucky Downs.
"I had good position all the way and we were going pretty slow," Centeno said. "He was getting a little tired, but we got to the wire. He tried really hard, especially the way the grass is today."
Video: Laurel Futurity (BT)
Evil Lyn Looks Good in Hilltop Stakes
Experience paid off Oct. 3 for Paradise Farms and David Staudacher's Evil Lyn, who raced fourth time off the claim and became a stakes winner in her 14th start when she took the $100,000 Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
The sophomore daughter of Wicked Strong went into the one-mile Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies on turf with the most starts of any runner in the 11-horse field. She was stakes-placed for trainer Mike Maker, having run third in the Aug. 12 Indiana Grand Stakes in her second start after being claimed for $40,000.
Evil Lyn wins the Hilltop Stakes
An ideal trip and a more relaxed runner led to Saturday's success, Maker said.
"The first couple of races we ran her she was pretty keen. She got a nice stalking trip on the outside today and an excellent ride," he said. "We liked her stretching out on the turf. I thought her numbers were very good. A young filly and we took a shot."
Evil Lyn sat sixth off the pace set by 82-1 shot Hollywood Hoopla, who sprinted to the lead from the far outside and went a quarter in :23.94 and a half in :48.50. She moved up into contention as three-quarters went in 1:14.98, bid three deep, and put away previously undefeated Caravel, who had taken the lead, and held off the late run of favored Vigilantes Way to win by half a length.
The final time on a yielding turf course was 1:42.25. Caravel was 2 1/2 lengths back in third.
Evil Lyn was bred in Kentucky by Lantern Hill Farm, Phil Needham, and Judy Needham out of the Mr. Greeley mare Miss Relentless, whose three starters have all been winners. She is the first black-type winner for the mare, who was barren in 2018 but produced a Vancouver filly in 2019 and a Mendelssohn colt this year, and was bred to Bolt d'Oro for 2021.
Video: Hilltop S. (BT)
Never Enough Time Wires Skipat Stakes
R. Larry Johnson's homebred Never Enough Time picked up her second stakes victory following her breakthrough last out and led at every point of call Saturday in the $100,000 Skipat Stakes Presented by Runhappy.
Julian Pimentel guided the 4-year-old Munnings filly through fractions of :23.46 and :46.03 for the first half-mile with a half-length advantage. Never Enough Time opened by two lengths in the stretch of the six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, then held off a bid from Bronx Beauty to win by three-quarters of a length. Bye Bye J was third.
Never Enough Time wins the Skipat Stakes
"I knew we were going to have the speed on the inside," winning trainer Mike Trombetta said. "I told Julian, 'Assuming she breaks well, if anyone tries to take the lead from you, make them earn it. I think the rail's really going to help her.' She's got some natural speed. It takes her a step to get going, but once she got on her way, the advantage shifted in favor."
The final time on the fast track was 1:10.42. Never Enough Time paid $7 to win.
"She's really nice. She does everything you ask her. She's pretty forward," Pimentel said. "She came out of there running, and she's just about business. We got the rail and we had to take advantage of that. I didn't get a whole lot of pressure on the turn, so I was able to give her a little breather. When I asked her to run, she gave it to me."
Never Enough Time, also the winner of the Sept. 5 Alma North Stakes at Laurel Park, has a 5-1-0 record from nine starts and earnings of $237,393.
Johnson bred Never Enough Time in Maryland out of the Partner's Hero mare What Time It Is, who placed in multiple Mid-Atlantic stakes when trained by Trombetta for Johnson.
Video: Skipat S. Presented by RUNHAPPY (BT)
Fluffy Socks Rides Rail to Selima Victory
Jockey Trevor McCarthy rode the rail to perfection Saturday in the $150,000 Selima Stakes, pushing Head of Plains Partners' homebred Fluffy Socks past the favored Invincible Gal in midstretch and drawing off to a 2 1/4-length victory to kick off the 145th Preakness Stakes Day card.
McCarthy broke from post 1 in the first of 12 stakes at Pimlico, then kept the Chad Brown-trained daughter of Slumber in reserve in sixth on the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for seven 2-year-old fillies before she unleashed her winning rally in the stretch.
Fluffy Socks wins the Selima Stakes
"I saved all the ground I could, and when I came to the top of the stretch, I started to angle out, but then the rail opened up and I said that was perfect. It was great to stay on that fresh ground every step of the way," McCarthy said.
Fluffy Socks ($14.40), a daughter of the Kitten's Joy mare Breakfast Time who was coming off a maiden win at Kentucky Downs, was timed in 1:50.74 on a course labeled yielding.
Michael Ryan, Jeff Drown, and Team Hanley's Invincible Gal, an Invincible Spirit filly trained by Graham Motion who was the 8-5 favorite, held on for second by a neck over Timory Ridall's Tic Tic Tic Boom, a daughter of Hit It a Bomb trained by Alan Bedard who rallied widest turning for home.
The victory was a great start to the day for Sol Kumin and his Head of Plains Partners, who also own a share of Preakness Stakes (G1) runner-up and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic through their Madaket Stables group.
Kumin said it was the first homebred stakes winner for his group. Fluffy Socks also represented the first black-type winner for her sire, and she was Slumber's first winner Sept. 7 at Kentucky Downs.