Camelot Kitten Scores American Turf Upset

Bravely rallying along the hedge, Camelot Kitten edged Beach Patrol by a head to score an upset victory in the $300,000 American Turf Stakes presented by Ram Trucks (gr. IIT) May 7 at Churchill Downs. 

With the narrow victory Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred secured the first stakes win of his career. Trained by Chad Brown, the 3-year-old son of Kitten's Joy—Celestial Woods, by Forestry completed the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds in 1:41.13 on firm turf.

Guided by Irad Ortiz Jr., Camelot Kitten raced in mid-pack early while race favorite Airoforce led the field through a quarter-mile in :23.27 and a half-mile in: 46.51, where he was challenged by recent Transylvania Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner Shakhimat. Airoforce put that challenge away in the turn but Gary and Mary West's Beach Patrol moved to the lead turning for home three-wide and Camelot Kitten found room along the inside.

Those two battled to the wire and Camelot Kitten prevailed. It was another 2 1/4 lengths back to Surgical Strike in third, with Airoforce a half-length behind him in fourth.

Ortiz credited Camelot Kitten for going through on the inside and battling.

"He brought his race today," Ortiz said. "He fought back with (Beach Patrol). The trainer had him ready. He saw that horse and he fought with him."

Sent off at 18-1, Camelot Kitten returned $39.40, $16.80, and $11.80 across the board, while Beach Patrol, who earned his first stakes placing, paid $7.40 to place and $5.60 to show. Surgical Strike returned $7.20 to show.

Brown said they felt like they had a stakes horse all along in Camelot Kitten.

"He's a horse that always had trained really well, like a top-level stake horse, and then in the afternoons I felt like we weren't really getting everything out of him," Brown said. "We tried to put the blinkers on him, he worked really big here at Churchill last week and combined with Irad's great ride it made the difference."

Camelot Kitten is a full brother to Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. I) winner Bobby's Kitten and stakes winner Major Magic.