Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Stephanie's Kitten (Kitten's Joy) looms an imposing presence as she makes a belated second start of the year in Belmont's GII New York S. Friday. The 2013 GI Just a Game S. heroine was transferred from Wayne Catalano to Chad Brown at the beginning of last season, finishing off the board in Keeneland's GI Jenny Wiley S. in April and in defense of her Just a Game title some 364 days ago before close seconds in the Spa's GI Diana S. July 19 and Arlington's GI Beverly D. S. Aug. 16. The Beverly D. was the homebred's first try past nine panels, and she continued to show an affinity for longer trips with a win in the course-and-distance GI Flower Bowl Invitational S. Sept. 28 and second to stablemate Dayatthespa (City Zip) in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf Nov. 1. The bay made a successful 6-year-old debut with a win over next-out Jenny Wiley heroine Ball Dancing (Exchange Rate)–also trained by Chad Brown–in Tampa's GIII Hillsborough S. Mar. 7. She was scratched out of the GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic against the boys on GI Kentucky Derby day May 2.
Stephanie's Kitten is coupled in the wagering with Kitten's Queen (Kitten's Joy), who makes her first start off the trainer change from Mike Maker to Brown. She took Sam Houston's Jersey Lilly S. two back Feb. 28 and a one-mile Keeneland allowance Apr. 9, and figures to set the pace here.
Juddmonte homebred Riposte (GB) (Dansili {GB}) is a distant second choice on the morning line at 6-1. She took this race 12 months ago after a win in the GII Sheepshead Bay S. a month earlier, but went missing until finishing second in Gulfstream's GIII The Very One S. Feb. 21. Fifth behind Beauty Parlor (Elusive Quality) in the GIII Orchid S. in Hallandale Mar. 28, the Bill Mott pupil was fourth last time behind GI Ogden Phipps S. entrant Rosalind (Broken Vow),Maximova (Danheill Dancer {Ire}) and Selenite (Cosmonaut) in the May 2 Sheepshead Bay. Beauty Parlor faded to last of five after setting the pace.
Antoinette Oppenheimer's British stakes winner Eastern Belle (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) finished third in a Keeneland allowance Apr. 8 after being transferred from John Gosden to Graham Motion, and rallied willingly to be second in a division of the Keertana S. at Churchill May 16. Tommy Stack invades from Ireland with Mrs. Paul Shanahan's Waltzing Matilda (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). She was third in The Curragh's G3 Mooresbridge S. May 4, and fourth in the G2 Ridgewood Pearl S. 19 days later.
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