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Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IIT) winner Stephanie's Kitten returned to the Churchill Downs turf course May 4 and put in another dominating performance, this time setting a stakes record in the $184,800 Edgewood Stakes (VIDEO) .
The now 3-year-old daughter of Kitten's Joy overtook pacesetter Welcome Dance at the top of the stretch and bounded home for a convincing two-length score under John Velazquez in her second start of the season. Sent off as the even-money choice in a field of 12 sophomore fillies, Stephanie’s Kitten won for the fourth time in seven starts. She entered the 1 1/16-mile race off a third-place finish in the April 7 Central Bank Ashland (gr. I) at Keeneland.
The final time on the firm turf was 1:40.94, which broke the previous stakes mark that stood since 2005. Wayne Catalano trains Stephanie's Kittem.
Stephanie’s Kitten won last year’s Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf by three-quarters of a length, also with Velazquez aboard. The bay filly is a Kentucky homebred of Ken and Sarah Ramsey, and is out of the Catienus mare Unfold the Rose. She has never been off the board in her seven starts, and increased her earnings to $974,082.
Welcome Dance and Julien Leparoux set the pace in the Edgewood, taking the field around through fractions of :23.81, :47.36, and 1:11.10 with June Cleaver, Miz Ida, Run a Risk, and Stephanie’s Kitten racing behind her.
Stephanie’s Kitten inched closer coming off the turn and took over from Welcome Dance just before the eighth pole. Firehouse Red, a 26-1 longshot, closed ground late to get up for second under Rosie Napravnik, but ran out of room. Welcome Dance was another 1 3/4 lengths back in third.
The winner paid $4, $3.20, and $2.60.
