Ramseys Double Up in BC Juvenile Turf
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Last year Ken and Sarah Ramsey had the prohibitive favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT), then watched as Bobby's Kitten ran off with rider Javier Castellano through suicidal fractions before backing up to finish third. Not to be deterred, however, the Ramseys will offer up both International Star and Luck of the Kitten in this year’s edition Oct. 31.
“I was agitated about that pace last year (:22.27, :45.70, 1:09.3), said Ken Ramsey this week. “He was supposed to rate him but he said he was unratable.”
While Bobby’s Kitten this year tries the Turf Sprint (gr. IT) coming down the hill at Santa Anita Park, the Ramseys hope to have the Juvenile Turf surrounded. International Star was an $85,000 yearling purchase by the Ramseys, who bolstered their stable of Kitten's Joy progeny with the son of Fusaichi Pegasus —Parlez, by French Deputy, who was bred in New York by Katharine Voss and Robert Manfuso.
“I told Manfuso at Saratoga we were going to make him a stakes horse,” said Ramsey. “And then he won the Grey Stakes (Can-III) and we received a nice phone call.”
International Star has not been worse than second in his four starts, with a second to Breeders’ Cup foe Startup Nation in the With Anticipation Stakes (gr. IIT). He is conditioned by Ramsey regular Mike Maker.
Luck of the Kitten, of course, is a homebred son of Kitten's Joy , the Ramseys' star stallion and last year’s leading sire in North America. Unlike most of the Kittens, Luck of the Kitten likes to do his running on the front end, and won the Zuma Beach Stakes last month over a mile at Santa Anita. He, too, has a pair of wins and a pair of seconds from four starts, and has been in front in all of them. He is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Anura.
“Usually the Kitten’s Joys are coming from off the pace, but (trainer) Wesley Ward likes to put them on the lead. We’re not going to change that now,” Ramsey said. “We left him in California after that last race and we’re taking a shot at it. We try to give Wesley the precocious ones that can go out and get the lead.”
The Ramseys won stakes in France this month when Jolly Good Kitten ran on from the back of the pace, and took the Hagyard Fayette Stakes (gr. II) last weekend at Keeneland with Pick of the Litter, giving Kitten’s Joy his 23rd stakes win of the year.
The Ramseys won’t be too upset if International Star wins the Juvenile Turf, but they might be rooting a little bit harder for Luck of the Kitten to give his sire stakes win number 24.