Kitten's Cat Set for Dania Beach

After a 2-year-old campaign that saw Kitten's Cat become a stakes winner and a graded-placed performer, trainer Joe Sharp is understandably eager to see what 2017 holds for Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred.

Sharp won't have to wait long, as the colt's 3-year-old campaign launches Jan. 7 at Gulfstream Park in the $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes (G3), a 7 1/2-furlong turf race that drew nine runners.

"I'm bringing the family with the anticipation of getting a picture taken," said Sharp, who also has horses this winter at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, in addition to Gulfstream Park, where Kitten's Cat is based.

Sharp was very disappointed that Kitten's Cat, a son of 2016 leading turf sire Kitten's Joy  , didn't receive the opportunity to run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). Ranked first on the also-eligibles, Kitten's Cat failed to draw in and was rerouted to the Juvenile Turf Sprint, which was run a day later at Santa Anita Park.

Kitten's Cat won the 6 1/2-furlong race on Santa Anita's unique downhill turf course by 1 1/2 lengths under Luis Saez, who has the return call from the rail for the ninth running of the Dania Beach. But when the starting gates opened in the Turf Sprint and his colt stumbled, Sharp thought all was lost.         

"One thing about Luis is that he will ride a horse who hasn't shown speed in his life and the horse somehow will show speed for him," Sharp said. "I was really confident in Luis' ability, but after the horse stumbled I thought it was over. But the horse is very athletic and gathered himself and got himself back in the race. He couldn't have won it with any more ease than he did. I was pretty proud of him showing up on the big stage when we needed him to. 

"I was very, very upset not to draw into the Breeders' Cup. We felt we were good enough to be right there. But having said that, we were glad to have had the opportunity to run in the sprint stake. I was concerned about the distance because I think he is a horse where further will be better for him, but good horses can win at any distance, within reason."

Sharp is a former assistant to Mike Maker, who also trains for the Ramseys. The couple bred and campaigned Kitten's Joy and have bred a plethora of runners sired by the Eclipse Award champion. As a result, Sharp, who has been training on his own since 2014, has a deep familiarity with the sire's progeny.         

"In general we've found that over the years that Kitten's Joys seem to be better coming off the pace," Sharp said. "Having said that, there is always the exception. I think Kitten's Cat is definitely better with a target, but we will be versatile when he needs to be. The bottom line, he is one of the better Kitten's Joys I've been around as a 2-year-old."        

Trainer Todd Pletcher has his own close association with the sire line of one of his Dania Beach entrants, Made You Look, a son of More Than Ready  . Pletcher trained More Than Ready, a multiple graded stakes winner, whose progeny have shown the same precocity as he did as a 2-year-old.

Let's Go Stable and Three Chimneys Farm's Made You Look, winner of the With Anticipation Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course in August, has not competed since finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

"I was a little disappointed; the horse had trained really well leading up to it," Pletcher remarked. "He just ran evenly. It wasn't a horrible effort. He came out of it fine and we've been pointing to this."     

Pletcher will also saddle Squadron in the Dania Beach. The undefeated Midshipman   gelding has won a pair of races, one on dirt and one on turf.

"We ran him on the turf just because it was a Florida-bred opportunity and he handled it pretty well, so we'll give it another try," Pletcher said. 

Javier Castellano will handle the riding assignment aboard Made You Look, who has drawn post 7. Eddie Castro has the mount on Squadron from post 5.

Also entered is the Mark Casse-trained Minister's Strike, undefeated in two starts, both on turf, who is making his stakes debut. Hey Mike, Leverkusen, Shiraz, and Clyde's Image complete the field. Field Trip was entered main-track only.