Joel Politi's Kimchi Cat, entered for main track only, made the most of her stakes debut when the Bolton Landing Stakes came off the turf Sunday at Saratoga. The dark bay filly sat just off of pacesetting favorite Viggiedal through an opening quarter in :22.03. She rolled up four wide into the lane and took the lead from the favorite with a furlong to run before sailing clear to the wire. Icona Mama overtook Viggiedal late for second.
“Today, [trainer] Tom [Amoss] said there was a lot of speed, so just let her get underneath herself,” said winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione. “She was carrying me around the whole way and when I pushed the button she responded nicely. [Viggiedal] is a very quick filly herself and it seemed like approaching the quarter pole, [Jose Ortiz] started to let her out and she wasn't really going anywhere, so I was feeling pretty confident at that point.”
Kimchi was five lengths adrift of Viggiedal when second in her five-furlong debut at Churchill Downs June 14. She scored a front-running 3 1/2-length maiden victory over the Bolton Landing's track and distance July 14.
“She got beat by Viggiedal in her first start, but if you go back and look at that race, it was a great learning experience for our filly,” said Amoss. “She got held up behind horses, had to wait–she kicked home, but the other filly was just much quicker. Losing that battle helped us today. We were able to rate kindly today, we're not one-dimensional. We knew that going in and I think that really helped in a field that looked like it had a lot of speed, and someone had a chance to really punch at the end. I'm really proud of my filly, she did a great job of that.”
Politi, who campaigned 2019 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress, purchased Kimchi Cat for $185,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, some 460 hips after he sold the Oaks winner's first foal, a colt by Into Mischief, for $1.2 million.
“I picked her out at the Keeneland sale for Joel,” Amoss said. “She still has some maturing to do. She's not a big girl, but we'll let that happen.”
Winter Dawn produced a filly by McKinzie this year and was bred back to Maxfield. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
BOLTON LANDING S., $150,000, Saratoga, 8-18, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:04.06, gd.
1–KIMCHI CAT, 122, f, 2, by Twirling Candy
1st Dam: Winter Dawn, by Sky Mesa
2nd Dam: Reboot, by Rubiano
3rd Dam: Launch Light Tek, by Relaunch
($185,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Joel Politi;
B-Coffee Pot Stables (KY); T-Thomas M. Amoss; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $161,500.
2–Icona Mama, 122, f, 2, Maximus Mischief–Classe Signora, by
Bernstein. ($75,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-DeSales Eight-Five; B-J. Patrick Morell & Tanya Lobsiger (PA);
T-Flint W. Stites. $30,000.
3–Viggiedal, 122, f, 2, Vekoma–Minnelli, by Unbridled's Song.
($160,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-CJ Stables; B-George Bates Trustee (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $18,000.
Margins: 3HF, 1HF, 1HF. Odds: 3.00, 29.00, 1.30.
Also Ran: Me Governor, Fortuna Mia, Obliging, Abientot. Scratched: Dreamgirl, Lady Orient, Mighty Eriu (Ire), Yesterday.
#9 Kimchi Cat easily takes the Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga off the turf at odds of 3/1!
Jockey: @Tyler_Gaff
Trainer: @TomAmossRacing
Owner: Politi Joel pic.twitter.com/ARvkBl4ns8— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 18, 2024
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