Claiming Crown: Early Noise from Quiet Kitten

Crossed Sabres Farm's Quiet Kitten continues her strong finish to the 2015 season after registering a two-length victory in the $110,000 Claiming Crown Tiara Stakes Saturday, Dec. 5 at Gulfstream Park.

Gulfstream opened its championship meet with the $1.1 million Claiming Crown Saturday, nine stakes races run under starter-race conditions as they are restricted to horses who started in a claiming race in 2014 or 2015. Quiet Kitten opened the day's Claiming Crown races with her clear Tiara victory.

Quiet Kitten and jockey Matthew Rispoli opened a clear advantage in the turn and maintained that edge to the wire. The 3-year-old daughter of Kitten's Joy   completed the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares in 1:48.51 on turf rated good under showery conditions.

Trained by Marcus Vitali, Quiet Kitten entered the Tiara off a runner-up finish in the Cellars Shiraz Stakes Oct. 31 on the turf at Gulfstream Park West. Before that effort she registered back to back victories in turf races at Monmouth Park and Gulfstream.

Quiet Kitten ($9.20 for win), was followed home by Seneca Destiny in second and Wild Swava third.

Following the Tiara, Runs With Bulls rallied along the rail in the stretch under Javier Castellano to win the $110,000 Iron Horse. Looch Racing Stables' Runs With Bulls, who is trained by Peter Walder, extended his win streak to three races as the 6-year-old Flashy Bull   gelding entered off allowance-optional claiming races at Thistledown.

Runs With Bulls ($11.20 for win) completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:43.63 on the sealed track listed as good. Twocubanbrothersu edged Roll On the Navajo by a nose for second.

Two races later Castellano would pick up his second Claiming Crown victory on the day when he guided owner-trainer David Jacobson's Stallwalkin' Dude to a hard-fought victory in the Rapid Transit, a seven-furlong race.

Stallwalkin' Dude and Trouble Kid, both sent off at 2-1, battled thorugh the length of the stretch with Stallwalkin' Dude ($6.40 for win) prevailing by a neck. The 5-year-old City Place gelding completed seven furlongs in 1:22.34.

In the Distaff Dash Stakes, Acclaimed Racing Stable's Silver Sashay proved to be a cool customer under Edgard Zayas.

Unbothered by the move from the turf to the off-track dirt of the five-furlong test for fillies and mares, even though the 5-year-old Eurosilver mare entered off seven straight turf races, Silver Sashay enjoyed a half-length at each point of call and held off a late run by Sunrise Kitty to win by that margin, completing the race in :57.90.

Trained by Alfred McIntosh, Silver Sashay was in between rivals Katie O. and Forest Funds in the backstretch but was never bothered and eventually put them away in the stretch. Katie O. would finish third and Forest Funds fourth. While Silver Sashay ($11.40 win) had not raced since winning the Bougainvillea Handicap sprinting on the Gulfstream turf in July, her return victory extended her win streak to four straight.

This story will be updated.