The Kittens Joy (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Inner Turf
January 30, 2021

The gate is full as we get set to run the Grade 3 Kittens Joy on Saturday. This is a race that has seen several changes over the years, both to the purse and to the distance in which it has been run. For the last three years, the race has been seven and a half furlongs, but that will return to a mile, which was what it was run at between 2015 and 2017. Last year, Maze To Noplace got the win for Aer Stables, but the Impactful gelding has not won since then. He remains active, and still is running decently, so perhaps it is just a matter of time for him. This is a good field with several participants from the BC Juvenile Turf. Let’s meet the field!

#1- Mr Ice Pick (Sincityfarms, ridden by K Kimura)- The trainer is looking for their first graded win here, and the horse is looking for his first stake win of any sort. He’s won two of seven, and has been productive in some smaller ungraded stakes, and that is enough for the trainer to bring him here, and he should not be ruled out as he is running just as quick as everyone else in the field.

#2- Day Of The Dragon (John Henry, ridden by G Franco)- Picked up in private sales last August for $80.000, but has yet to visit the winners circle with John Henry. Came from well back to get up for third in the ungraded Logan in his last start, but one of the ones he did not catch was Mr Ice Pick. Has been able to hit the board more often than not, but far more than three in here can say the same thing.

#3- Determined Commando (Estero Farms, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Like the two starting to his inside, Determined Commando raced on the December 27th at SA. But while they were in the Logan, he was breaking his maiden. That was in a sprint, and he goes long for the first time on Saturday. Work times show that might be long overdue!

#4- Valid Point (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Finished second in the hotly contested Bourbon at KEE in early October, but the trainer did not send him to the BC. Instead, on Halloween, he won an allowance, and would run fifth in the Grade 3 DeMille, with conditions much like this one, a month later. After a couple months, it’s back to the track so let’s see how the rest pays off.

#5- Puffman (Keikowin Racing, ridden by R Bejarano)- I can’t tell you how often the post draws make it easy for me and put horses next to one another that come out of the same race. For Puffman, he too was in the DeMille, but he did much better than finish fifth. He would pick up the win in that race, his third win in his four starts. He’s also been given the two months off since that race.

#6- San Diego Fire (First Street Stables, ridden by S Ryan)- We go back to the Logan, that race from December 27 at SA to see the last time this Point Of Entry colt was on the track. For him, that is a race he would like to forget, as he was dead last, nine lengths out. With two of the top three from that race here, it is hard to like him. Did run in the BC Juvenile turf, but was dead last there, too.

#7- Dream State (Mb Stables, ridden by A Beschizza)- Here is another one of our DeMille runners, and Dream State finished one spot behind his stablemate, in sixth. That was a disappointment, because prior to that he had just run third in the BC Juvenile Turf. His actual race time, though, was very similar in each of them and he has otherwise been a consistent horse.

#8- Schematic Plan (Aer Stables, ridden by M A Vazquez)- There is no past stake experience to talk about with this one, however, but that should not matter. Aer Stables will be looking to win this race for the second straight year, and will be hoping for this colt’s third straight win. Since he started going long on the grass, Schematic Plan has been up to the task.

#9- Mahogany Storm (Smokey Stover, ridden by C J Lanerie)- In the Grade 2 Bourbon, Mahogany Storm impressively came from well off the pace to pick up the win. So naturally we were hoping to see that in the BC Juvenile Turf a month later, but the horse never responded, and finished 11th. With a different tactic, he would win an allowance at DMR, on the undercard of the DeMille.

#10- Marty McFly (Greeko Holdem, ridden by J R Leparoux)- A horse that will allow for creative headlines if he wins, and he has managed to do that twice in eight starts. Ran in the BC Juvenile Turf thanks to his general consistency last fall, and ended up fourth in the race. That result would see him skip the stake route for his next race but he did win the allowance he was entered in.

#11- Mr Orange (Arindel, ridden by E Jaramillo)- On the outside, we have another one of our horses that ran in the BC Juvenile Turf, and for him, it was a position behind Marty McFly. That was just fine for the trainer to enter him in the DeMille, and he would finish second, so he has a good track record against his rivals on Saturday.

Prediction: 5-1-8-11

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES