Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred Always Kitten, winner of the Happy Ticket Stakes at a mile at Louisiana Downs in her most recent start, headlines a field of 13 entered for the 22nd running of the $150,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (gr. IIIT). The race for 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on turf is scheduled for Oct. 11 at Keeneland in Central Kentucky.
The JPMorgan Chase Jessamine is a "Win and You're In" race for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) to be run Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park in Southern California. The JPMorgan Chase Jessamine will go as the eighth race on the Oct. 11 nine-race card with a 4:49 p.m. (EDT) post time.
Trained by Mike Maker, Always Kitten (by Kitten's Joy ) will carry top weight of 120 pounds and concede two pounds to each of her rivals. Julien Leparoux has the mount on Always Kitten, who will break from post 8. The Kentucky-bred filly is out of the Dynaformer mare Misinformer.
Breaking from post 6 will be James Covello's Oscar Party, winner of the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies at seven furlongs in her most recent start. Trained by Wayne Catalano, Oscar Party will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux.
A third turf stakes winner in the field is Ron McCauley's Zip Cash Back, who captured the 5 1/2-furlong Tippett at Delaware Park. Runner-up to Oscar Party at Kentucky Downs, Zip Cash Back will break from post 10 under Leandro Goncalves for trainer Tevis McCauley.
The field for the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine, from the inside out, is as follows: Pure Fun (Victor Lebron, 118 pounds), Pappascat (Jon Court, 118), Sunset Time (Julio Garcia, 118), Moonwalk (Corey Lanerie, 118), Kitten's Point (John Velazquez, 118), Oscar Party (Kent Desormeaux, 118), Summer of Fun (Eddie Castro, 118), Always Kitten (Julien Leparoux, 120), Hedonemewrongsong (Rosie Napravnik, 118), Zip Cash Back (Leandro Goncalves, 118), Free Song (Eddie Martin Jr., 118) and Go Kitten Go (Elvis Trujillo, 118). Also eligible: Street of Gold (Corey Lanerie, 118).