lady kate | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lady Kate Seeks A Second Groupie Doll Win At Ellis Park

Anderson Stables' Lady Kate, the 2020 RUNHAPPY Group Doll winner, is the only return winner from last year's five dirt stakes on the RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Derby Day card at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. Then again, she's the only who could, with the other four stakes limited to either 2-year-olds or 3-year-olds.

Lady Kate also is seeking to become the first two-time winner of the stakes, which dates to 1987. Even Groupie Doll, the two-time Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and champion female sprinter, only won the stakes now named for her once, that coming in 2011 as a 3-year-old. Groupie Doll also was third in 2013 en route to her second championship.

The 5-year-old Lady Kate, with Adam Beschizza to ride, goes up against familiar faces in last year's Groupie Doll runner-up New Roo and third-place Istan Council.

“She's doing well,” trainer Eddie Kenneally said of Lady Kate, who recently shipped over from his Keeneland barn. “She seems to like it here, and she was successful in the race last year and got it done first time running on this track. She's been here a few days and settled in nicely. She's been doing her breezes at Keeneland. It's a loaded race, quite a few runners in there. But I think it was a good big field here last year as well.”

After the Groupie Doll, Lady Kate finished second to champion Monomoy Girl in Churchill Downs' delayed Grade 1 La Troienne. She tired to 10th after pushing the pace in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, then in her only start this year was fifth in Aqueduct's Grade 3 Distaff Handicap in April.

“She seems to like Ellis and Churchill,” Kenneally said. “So hopefully we can repeat something like we did last year with her. But she's in great shape. She didn't have a prep for the race this year. She hasn't run since the first week of April. So she's coming in fresh with no prep. That's the only concern: She doesn't have a race under her belt coming in against horses that are fit and racing.”

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That Grade 1-placing was huge for Lady Kate, a daughter of champion Bernardini who cost $485,000 as a yearling.

“For a filly with a pedigree like her it enhances her value tremendously to be placed at all in a G1,” Kenneally said. “It stamps her value going forward. So it means a lot for those kinds of fillies. She was a high-dollar yearling and thankfully it's turned out.

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Grade 1 Ladies: Lady Kate, Paris Lights Return In Friday’s Distaff At Aqueduct

Anderson Stables' Lady Kate looks to make the grade in Friday's Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Distaff is the first stakes race of the 11-day Big A spring meet, which will run Thursday, April 1 through Sunday, April 18.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, the Grade 1-placed Lady Kate will make her seasonal debut following an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff won by eventual Champion Older Dirt Female Monomoy Girl in November at Keeneland.

The 5-year-old Bernardini mare, who finished second to Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1 La Troienne in September at Churchill Downs, enjoyed a four-win campaign in 2020, including a score in the one-mile Groupie Doll in August at Ellis Park.

“She had a very strong campaign last year,” said Kenneally. “She won four races and traveled around a little bit. She had a busy year.”

Lady Kate, out of the graded stakes-winning Street Cry mare Princess Haya, enjoyed a freshening before returning to the work tab in February at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida.

“She wintered really well,” said Kenneally. “We sent her to Eddie Woods in Ocala and turned her out for a couple of months and brought her back in January at Palm Meadows. She hasn't missed a beat since she came back in. She's benefitted from her vacation time and I think she's come back really good.”

Lady Kate battled with Monomoy Girl on three occasions last year and Kenneally said the La Troienne effort was the highlight of a strong campaign.

“That was a deep field and she beat some quality horses that day,” said Kenneally. “She didn't get beat too far by Monomoy Girl, so I think that was probably her best race.”

Kenneally said Lady Kate's natural speed allows her success over a variety of trips.

“She's versatile. She's won at 6 1/2-furlongs, a one-turn mile, the Groupie Doll was a mile around two turns and the La Troienne was a mile and a sixteenth around two turns,” said Kenneally. “I think seven-eighths on the comeback is a good distance to start back at, but we'll be planning on stretching her out after that.”

Lady Kate, who was supplemented to the Distaff after an allowance race at Gulfstream Park did not fill, will exit post 2 under Trevor McCarthy.

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Paris Lights bested Crystal Ball by a head in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks last out in July at Saratoga Race Course. The 4-year-old Curlin bay, unraced as a juvenile, won 3-of-4 starts in her sophomore season.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Paris Lights has prepared for her seasonal debut at Payson Park in Florida, breezing three-eighths in 38.40 seconds on March 21.

Paris Lights will exit post 4 under Junior Alvarado.

Ten Strike Racing's Portal Creek, a 5-year-old Shanghai Bobby mare trained by Juan Guerrero, has enjoyed a productive winter at the Big A despite not having her picture taken.

Portal Creek finished second, beaten a neck by Sharp Starr, in the Grade 3 Go for Wand, a one-turn mile over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track in December. She followed with a fourth in the seven-furlong Interborough in January and was a prominent second to Lake Avenue last out in the one-mile Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 6.

Kendrick Carmouche, aboard for the Go for Wand and Interborough efforts, has the call from post 5.

Saul Kupferberg's Honor Way enters from wins in the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie in November at Belmont and the six-furlong Garland of Roses in December at the Big A.

The 7-year-old Caleb's Posse mare, trained by Charlton Baker, boasts a record of 41-13-8-7 with purse earnings of $688,892 and will be piloted by Jose Ortiz from the inside post.

Perrine Time Thoroughbreds' Kansas Kis has come close to stakes success at Aqueduct on two occasions for trainer Ray Handal. The 4-year-old Constitution bay missed by a nose to Water White in the 2020 Busher Invitational, traveling a one-turn mile. Last out, Kansas Kis tracked from third in the six-furlong Correction and completed the trifecta just 1 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Sadie Lady.

Kansas Kis will exit post 3 under Pablo Morales.

The Distaff is slated as Race 7 on Friday's eight-race card. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Distaff Notes: McPeek Comfortable Choosing ‘Lighter’ Breeders’ Cup Race For Swiss Skydiver

Ce Ce – Bo Hirsch's Ce Ce galloped on the Keeneland training track the morning after arriving from her home base at Santa Anita.

“All of my horses shipped well and came out of their last works well,” said trainer Michael McCarthy, whose other Breeders' Cup pre-entrants are Speech (Filly & Mare Sprint), Rushie (Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile) and Rombauer (TVG Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance).

Ce Ce, fourth in the Derby City Distaff on Sept. 5 in her initial trip to Kentucky, had worked 5f in 59 3/5 at Santa Anita on Friday.

Dunbar Road – Peter Brant's Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff contender Dunbar Road walked the Belmont Park barn of trainer Chad Brown one day after breezing 5f in 1:00 3/5 and then shipped from New York to Kentucky.

Per her conditioner, the daughter of Quality Road is among the remaining nine of Brown's 11-strong Breeders' Cup brigade that arrived late Monday morning. Front Run the Fed (Turf Sprint) and Raging Bull (Mile) were already on the grounds in Keeneland's Barn 64 and each jogged.

Harvest Moon – Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor's Harvest Moon jogged on the Keeneland training track for trainer Simon Callaghan.

Harvest Moon had worked 5f in 1:01 at Keeneland Saturday and today's activity marked her return to the track.
“She came out of the work well,” Callaghan said. “She may do the same thing tomorrow (come to the training track) because the conditions are expected to be the same.”

Horologist – Bill Mott-trained Beldame winner Horologist had an easy day of it on Monday, sticking to Barn 60 at Keeneland one day after breezing 4f in 47 2/5.

“She worked yesterday, like Frank's Rockette,” said Riley Mott, assistant trainer. “She came back good and just walked. All in all, we're in good shape.”

Frank's Rockette, who breezed the same distance in 49 flat, will enter the Breeders' Cup Sprint in lieu of the Filly & Mare Sprint, per Mott.

Lady Kate – Lady Kate, fourth in Keeneland's Spinster on Oct. 4, is scheduled to arrive at Keeneland Wednesday morning after training at Churchill Downs. The 4yo daughter of Bernardini breezed 4f in :48 1/5 at Churchill Downs on Oct. 31.

“She is doing great and we are looking forward to the Breeders' Cup,” trainer Eddie Kenneally said.

Monomoy Girl – The 2018 Longines Distaff winner Monomoy Girl had her first gallop over the Keeneland track Monday morning. She put in her final work at her Churchill Downs base Saturday and then vanned over to Keeneland Sunday afternoon.

“I don't think I've seen her gallop any better,” trainer Brad Cox said. “She looked really good.”

Ollie's Candy – Paul and Karen Eggert's Ollie's Candy jogged once around the main track at Keeneland with Juan Leyva, assistant to John Sadler aboard.

Ollie's Candy, runner-up here in the Juddmonte Spinster Oct. 4, had worked 6f in 1:11 on Saturday that was her second work since the Spinster. Monday's exercise marked her return to the track.

Sadler is expected to be at the barn Tuesday morning.

Point of Honor – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Stetson Racing LLC's Point of Honor galloped 1 1/4m over Keeneland's main track in preparation for a start in the Longines Distaff.

“She's going to be a bit of a long shot in this race, but she's training as well as she ever has,” trainer George Weaver said.

Swiss Skydiver – Peter Callahan's Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver made a favorable impression coming on to the track a little before 8 a.m. and jogging once around the main track under jockey Robby Albarado.

Trainer Kenny McPeek said the decision to go into the Distaff was easy compared to deciding whether to go in the Preakness against straight 3-year-olds or the Spinster against older fillies and mares.

“This was a relatively easy decision compared to the Preakness,” McPeek said. “I like to keep my horses within their generations. I like to think of the 2-year-old year as the high school level, the 3-year-old year as the college level and 4-year-olds and up is the pros. The Classic is a very deep field of quality older horses. The Distaff seems a little lighter. I think she's ready to show how good she is against older horses.”

Valiance – Valiance, who capped a three-race winning streak with her victory in the Spinster at Keeneland on Oct. 4, arrived at Blue Grass Airport across the road from Keeneland at approximately 10 a.m. Also in the group from Belmont Park were trainer Todd Pletcher's Breeders' Cup pre-entrants Mutasaabeq (Juvenile Turf), Union Gables (Juvenile Turf Sprint) and Likeable (Juvenile).
Halladay (Mile) was expected to arrive from Belmont on a later flight Monday afternoon.

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