Grade on the Line for Chief Kitten in Kent

None of the eight runners entered in the $200,000 Kent Stakes (gr. IIIT) has made it to graded stakes-winning status yet, but the victor of the 1 1/8-mile Kent will walk away with that distinction July 18 at Delaware Park. 

Leading the field of eight sophomores for the turf test is Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Chief Kitten, a New York-bred son of Kitten's Joy   who won the Pulpit Stakes at Gulfstream Park West last November and who came off the layup after running sixth in the Jan. 24 Kitten's Joy Stakes at Gulfstream Park to finish third in the April 18 Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 1 1/16-mile Woodhaven saw a good effort from the Chad Brown trainee, who was in tight and forced to check around the sixteenth pole, losing valuable momentum. Joel Rosario gets the mount in Chief Kitten's first start since then, departing post 2 aboard the 2-1 favorite on the morning line. 

Brown also has last-out maiden winner Money Multiplier in this spot. The Lookin At Lucky   colt took a May 3 maiden special weight race going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt at Belmont Park with a good late run to win for the first time in his fourth start. This would be his turf debut for Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence. He drew post 3, but no rider has been named yet.

Second choice on the morning line at odds of 3-1 is Matthew Schera's Irish-bred Syntax, racing for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The Haatef colt has already made eight starts with two wins, his latest coming June 20 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance on the inner turf at Belmont. He leaves post 5 as the 118-pound highweight under Junior Alvarado. All other runners carry 116 pounds.

Dukin' With Dale and Tiz My Valentine, the second- and third-place finishers from the local Stanton Stakes run June 20 at Delaware, are also in the bunch.

All I Karabout, My Team, and Weekend Express complete the field.