Race Day With Breeders’ Cup Hopeful Sapphire Kitten

Have you ever wondered what goes into getting a horse ready on race day? Or, what happens after the race? I was fortunate enough to shadow 2-year-old filly Sapphire Kitten recently when she ran in the Grade 3 JP Morgan Chase Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland Race Course, and I saw firsthand just how much time, effort and care goes into race-day preparations. And, Sapphire Kitten ran so well in only her second start that she’s headed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, if all goes well.
Before we get started, I want to give a sincere thanks to her trainer Joe Sharp and his employees Dustin Dugas, Jackie Anderson and Francisco Gonzales as well as the rest of his barn for giving me access and answering my questions. They were very open and great to work with.
Read on for a diary of my day, scheduled down to the minute.
5 a.m.: I arrived at Joe’s Barn 45 at Keeneland, where grooms and hotwalkers were already going about their work readying horses for training. Around 5:15, Sapphire Kitten was led from her stall in the pre-dawn darkness, and the poultice on her lower front legs was cleaned off by her groom, Francisco. Poultice is used to prevent inflammation.

After her feet were also cleaned, Sapphire Kitten was hand-walked around the shedrow (barn) for about 20 minutes, put back in her stall and fed her breakfast. While she was out of her stall, it was cleaned and fresh straw was added.

6:15 a.m.: After Sapphire Kitten returned to her stall I had a lot of waiting to do. The next step was for a veterinarian, employed by the state racing commission, to visit her stall and perform a prerace exam. Every horse entered to race that day was visited by a state vet for the exam, and there’s no telling when he’ll arrive at a given barn.
Luckily, Barn 45 has an excellent view of the training track, and I passed some time taking photos of the sunrise and the foggy scenery. Keeneland truly is a beautiful place. (I also got to spend a little time with Sapphire Kitten. She is a big-time sweetheart.)

9:45 a.m.: Keeneland security arrived to monitor stakes horses for the day while Francisco groomed Sapphire Kitten. He showed me his handiwork before leaving her to rest for the morning.

At Keeneland, any horse entered in a stakes race is assigned a security guard who monitors the horse’s stall throughout the day, taking down the name and racing license number of any person who enters the stall. Everyone who works at a racetrack is required to be licensed by the state racing commission, which often includes background checks and written exams, depending on the type of license. The security guards also note the time and anything the person does while in the stall. This is to ensure no illicit activity, which could endanger a horse or the integrity of the race, occurs.

In the case of Sapphire Kitten, her next-door neighbor happened to be Come to Mischief, another Joe Sharp trainee entered in the Jessamine Stakes, so there were two security guards, one for each horse.
10:15 a.m.: State veterinarian Bruce Howard visited the barn to perform the prerace exam. After checking her tattoo and positively identifying the filly, he felt her legs for any swelling, heat or other problems, which could indicate an injury and cause a horse to be scratched. Francisco then led Sapphire Kitten from her stall so Howard could watch her jog and look for any signs of unsoundness.

Sapphire Kitten passed with flying colors and was returned to her stall. A state vet returned four hours prior to her race to give her a Lasix injection to prevent Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging (EIPH).
1:45 p.m.: Sapphire Kitten and her neighbor Come to Mischief are put in ice boots. These are filled with, literally, fresh ice and are used to relax and cool a horse’s muscles before her race. They are left on for about an hour.

3 p.m.: Sapphire Kitten is readied for her race. She is groomed and her bridle is put on before she’s led out of her stall and cooled with a splash of water since it’s a hot day.

3:40 p.m.: An announcement over the backside loudspeakers tells horsemen to bring their horses for Race 7 (the Jessamine) to Barn 21, where horses are gathered prior to a race. Anticipation builds as a cooler sheet is put on Sapphire Kitten and the long walk to Barn 21 begins. She’s led by Francisco and Joe’s assistant, Dustin.

3:45 p.m.: Sapphire Kitten arrives at Barn 21. She visits stall No. 6, corresponding to the number she’ll wear on her saddle cloth to identify her during the race. There, a state vet draws blood for TCO2 testing, which is done to make sure each horse’s blood pH hasn’t been artificially changed to decrease lactic acid buildup in muscles (thereby increasing a horse’s performance and potentially negatively affecting its health). Francisco also gets a vest with her No. 6 on it, and the fillies circle the barn, waiting for their cue to head to the paddock.

3:55 p.m.: The field leaves the barn for the paddock. As they arrive, each filly’s identity is checked by tattoo and markings. Sapphire Kitten proceeds to the No. 6 saddling area and walks calmly while waiting to be saddled. She acted more like an old pro than a filly making her second start. Joe and his team saddle her.

4:10 p.m.: Sapphire Kitten proceeds to the walking ring, where Joe gives jockey Julien Leparoux race instructions before giving him a leg up. They leave the paddock to head to the track.

4:15 p.m.: The horses hit the track for the Jessamine Stakes. The winner earns not only the lion’s share of the $150,000 purse, but also a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
4:25 p.m.: Nine fillies leave the gate for their 1 1/16-mile turf journey. Sapphire Kitten is sent off at 9.20-to-1 odds. She takes the lead in the stretch and fights back gamely when headed by even-money favorite Harmonize, but Sapphire Kitten has to settle for second, a neck behind the winner in a very exciting race.
2015 JP MORGAN CHASE JESSAMINES STAKES

Video courtesy Breeders' Cup World Championships
4:30 p.m.: Francisco, Dustin and Joe all greet Julien and Sapphire Kitten when they get back to the unsaddling area in what looks like organized chaos. The team is pleased with her big effort, though of course win would have been a little nicer. She’s unsaddled and doused with water to cool off while also getting a drink. She is then led off the racetrack at the other end of the track, where she heads to the test barn.

4:35 p.m.: Sapphire Kitten heads to the test barn, where horses’ blood and urine samples are taken to test for a variety of drugs, making sure no one “cheated.” Anyone who enters the test barn must provide a license so their identity can be recorded, and the groom’s license is kept until the horse leaves the barn for good. While horses are in the barn, they are walked to cool off, given drinks of water and bathed in a wash rack just outside the barn’s entrance.

5:10 p.m.: Sapphire Kitten and Francisco leave the test barn to head back to Barn 45. She’s still perky and sweet and is no worse for the wear after her big effort.

5:15 p.m.: Sapphire Kitten is safely back in her stall, and you can’t even tell she ran that day. After thanking the team, I headed back to my car with a new rooting interest for the Breeders’ Cup.