Maturing Bobby’s Kitten Formidable in Blue Grass

Bobby's Kitten exercises on the main track at Keeneland Race Course in preparation for the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. (Coady Photography)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It is possible the only horse that can beat Bobby's Kitten in the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course is Bobby’s Kitten.
He was his own worst enemy in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, his most important race to date, when he was essentially unmanageable for jockey Javier Castellano and set impossible fractions before a rather predictable end. After being sent off as a heavy favorite, he weakened to third.
Owner Ken Ramsey was so upset by the outcome that he vowed not to ride the ultra-talented Castellano on the horse again. In truth, though, when a horse’s will is pitted against that of his rider, the horse tends to win.
Fortunately for everyone concerned, cooler heads prevailed and Castellano was retained. He was aboard for a more controlled, front-running effort when Bobby’s Kitten took an allowance race by 1 ½ lengths at Tampa Bay Downs in his 3-year-old debut on March 8.
Trainer Chad Brown looks for the same level of responsiveness in the Blue Grass. “Horses naturally relax from two to three anyway,” he said. “This horse is real smart. He’s very cooperative. He never gives us any trouble.”
Brown often kept Bobby’s Kitten behind horses as he prepared him for the new season at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida.
“Just as a precaution, we took some steps in the morning to tell the horse that he really should relax in his races,” he said. “We’ve tested him in a couple of different situations in the morning, and he passed all the tests.”
There is no doubting the quality of the Kitten’s Joy colt on the turf. He has not finished worse than third in five career starts. After finishing third in his debut, he took his second start by 2 ¾ lengths at Saratoga Race Course. His turned his first graded stakes try, in the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park, into a 6 ¼-length romp.
BOBBY'S KITTEN WINNING PILGRIM

Photo by Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Since Bobby’s Kitten has competed exclusively on turf, he does not have any points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard used by Churchill Downs to determine the 20-horse field for the first jewel of the Triple Crown on May 3. He can make up for lost time in a hurry since the Blue Grass, which will be run on the synthetic Polytrack surface for the final time before Keeneland switches back to dirt, is worth 170 points according to the following breakdown: 100 points to the winner, 40 for second, 20 for third and 10 for fourth.
“He’s training well on it, but you never know until they run on it,” Brown said. As part of the effort to keep him from being too keen, Bobby’s Kitten worked alone rather than in company last Saturday and completed five furlongs in 1:00.20 at Keeneland.
Brown is cautiously optimistic that his 3-to-1 favorite in a full Blue Grass field of 14 can get the job done from post position five.
“We’re going to need a good trip and a top performance from Bobby’s Kitten to get there,” he said.
Ramsey already has two horses with enough points to enter the Run for the Roses in Louisiana Derby winner Vicar’s In Trouble and We Miss Artie, who triumphed in the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park. No one needs to look any farther back than Animal Kingdom in 2011 to find an example of a 3-year-old with a turf and synthetic background that won his dirt debut in the Kentucky Derby.
“Churchill dirt tends to be kind to horses that began their careers on turf, historically,” Brown said. “That gives us confidence that if there is any dirt course a grass horse could handle, it would be Churchill.”
Of course, Bobby’s Kitten still must get there – one relaxed step at a time.

$750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes
Saturday, Keeneland Race Course, Race 11, Post Time 5:45 p.m. ET
3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles (synthetic Polytrack surface)
TV: Watch on Fox Sports 1 from 4:30-6 p.m. ET

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Odds

1

Asserting Bear

Emma-Jayne Wilson

Reade Baker

15-to-1

2

Extgrasexyhippzster

Julien Pimentel

Michael Trombetta

15-to-1

3

Pablo Del Monte

Victor Espinoza

Wesley Ward

12-to-1

4

Harry's Holiday

Rosie Napravnik

Mike Maker

10-to-1

5

Bobby's Kitten

Javier Castellano

Chad Brown

3-to-1

6

Coltimus Prime

Alan Garcia

Justin Nixon

20-to-1

7

Casiguapo

Rajiv Maragh

Mario Morales

30-to-1

8

Dance With Fate

Corey Nakatani

Peter Eurton

12-to-1

9

Big Bazinga

Brian Hernandez Jr.

Katerina Vassilieva

20-to-1

10

So Lonesome

Joe Rocco Jr.

Tom Bush

50-to-1

11

Coastline

Stewart Elliott

Mark Casse

8-to-1

12

Vinceremos

Edgar Prado

Todd Pletcher

8-to-1

13

Medal Count

Robby Albarado

Dale Romans

9-to-2

14

Gala Award

John Velazquez

Todd Pletcher

5-to-1

AE

Divine Oath

Julien Leparoux

Todd Pletcher

12-to-1

AE - Denotes also eligible, which means the horse would need at least one entrant to defect from the race in order to draw into the field. All runners carry 123 pounds
WATCH THE BLUE GRASS ON FOX SPORTS1