Wildcat Kate Turns the Tables in Old Hat Stakes

Some heady handling by jockey Eduardo Nunez helped Wildcat Kate turn the tables on previously unbeaten rival Bode's Dream with the former putting the heat on early and getting up in the final strides to take the $100,000 Old Hat Stakes by a neck at Gulfstream Park Jan. 7. 

The six-furlong Old Hat reunited the top finishers, after Bode's Dream prevailed during their first meeting, taking the Dec. 10 House Party Stakes in front-running fashion over a sealed, sloppy Gulfstream track by 2 3/4 lengths. As has been her modus operandi in each of her three prior wins, Bode's Dream again shot to the front out of post 1 in the Old Hat, but had Wildcat Kate at her hip on the outside through fractions of :22.63 and :45.69.

At the head of the stretch, Bode's Dream dug in under jockey John Velazquez and the 1-2 favorite nearly had the speed-favoring Gulfstream surface carry her to her fourth win in as many tries. As Nunez asked 12-1 shot Wildcat Kate for more, the daughter of Kantharos   responded with a show of mettle of her own, surging up in the last few strides. 

"I told Eduardo that he's going to have to use his best judgment. I think we all know you can't let just one horse loose on the lead," said winning trainer Kathleen O'Connell. "It seemed like he was able to get her out of the gate and get good position without using her where she's engaged in fighting him. She's more mature, more relaxed, (and) more responsive to him."

The final time for the Old Hat was 1:11.46 over a fast track. 

Wildcat Kate paid $27.40, $6.40, and $3.60 across the board. Summer Luck got up for third, with Sister Nation, Sailor's Valentine, and Atenea completing the order of finish.

Owned by San Basilio and bred in Florida by El Batey Farm, Wildcat Kate posted two runner-up outings since breaking her maiden at first asking by 15 3/4 lengths over a sloppy Gulfstream Park West surface Oct. 20. In her first stakes try, the bay filly was beaten a half-length in the Juvenile Filly Sprint Stakes for state-breds Nov. 12 before capping her juvenile season off with her House Party effort.

"I was hoping that it wasn't just the slop that made her a 15-length winner that day," O'Connell said of Wildcat Kate's eye-popping maiden run. "She certainly proved it today."

With her first stakes victory, Wildcat Kate improved her record to two wins from four starts and $112,230 in earnings. O'Connell was unsure where the 3-year-old filly might surface next.