Stephanie's Kitten, Alterite Eye Flower Bowl

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While Chad Brown trainees Stephanie's Kitten and Alterite have each failed to earn a trip to the winner's circle this season, no one will be ignoring the two grade I winners Sept. 27 when they start in the $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) at Belmont Park.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred Stephanie's Kitten has not won in four starts this year but the 5-year-old Kitten's Joy   mare enters Saturday's 1 1/4-mile turf race for fillies and mares off a pair of impressive efforts. She finished second in the Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT) behind Euro Charline Aug. 16 at Arlington Park after also running second, just a neck behind winner Somali Lemonade, in the TVG Diana Stakes (gr. IT) July 19 at Saratoga Race Course.  

Stephanie's Kitten will be trying for a third grade I victory after taking the 2011 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (gr. I) on the former Polytrack at Keeneland, and last year's Longines Just a Game Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont.

Stablemate Alterite closed out last season with a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT), finishing just one length behind winner Dank. This season, the 4-year-old daughter of Literato is still trying to put everything together as she finished off the board in her two 2014 starts: the Diana and Beverly D.

Martin Schwartz's Alterite won last year's Garden City Stakes (gr. IT) at Belmont and has placed in four other grade/group I races in her career.



Brown also will saddle grade III winner Watsdachances in Saturday's race.

Looking for her first career grade I score Saturday will be Phipps Stable homebred Abaco, who edged Flower Bowl rival Strathnaver by a neck to win the Ballston Spa Stakes (gr. IIT) Aug. 23 at Saratoga. Andrew Stone's Strathnaver, trained by Graham Motion, also finished second in this year's Just a Game.

Trainer Alan Goldberg, who won last year's Flower Bowl with Laughing, will send out Tannery, a grade I winner in Canada who enters off a 10th-place finish in the Beverly D. Tannery was second in last year's Flower Bowl.

The race is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win & You're In," event to the Filly and Mare Turf.

Flower Bowl S. (gr. I)

Belmont Park, Saturday, September 27, 2014, Race 7
  • 1 1/4m
  • Inner turf
  • $600,000
  • 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 4:07 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Weight Trainer
1 Abaco (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 121 Claude R. McGaughey III
2 Maximova (NY) Cornelio H. Velasquez 119 Christophe Clement
3 Viva Rafaela (BRZ) Javier Castellano 119 Todd A. Pletcher
4 Strathnaver (GB) Joel Rosario 119 H. Graham Motion
5 Starstruck (IRE) Kerwin D. Clark 119 J. Larry Jones
6 Watsdachances (IRE) Joe Bravo 119 Chad C. Brown
7 Alterite (FR) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 121 Chad C. Brown
8 Tannery (IRE) Jose Lezcano 121 Alan E. Goldberg
9 Stephanie's Kitten (KY) John R. Velazquez 121 Chad C. Brown