Turf Star Chasing First Stakes Win in $175,000 Kitten’s Joy

First of Five Stakes, Two Graded, Worth $950k in Purses Saturday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Seven days since his older stablemates ran 1-2 in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), Calumet Farm Grade 2-placed homebred Turf Star will get a chance to live up to his name and continue the barn’s success story in Saturday’s $175,000 Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream Park.

The 15th running of the Kitten’s Joy for 3-year-olds scheduled at 1 1/16 miles on the grass is the first of five stakes, two graded, worth $950,000 in purses on a 12-race program anchored by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

First race post time is 12:15 p.m.

Turf Star is set to make his season debut in the Kitten’s Joy for trainer Graham Motion, who saw Test Score and One Stripe finish a nose apart in the Pegasus Turf. By dual European Group 1 winner Caravaggio, Turf Star was last seen finishing sixth by less than six lengths at odds of 48-1 in the one-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Oct. 21 at Del Mar.

“I think like any horse, it’s such a muddled race. I don’t think it cost him significantly, but it might have cost him finishing a little closer,” Motion said of Turf Star’s troubled Breeders’ Cup trip. “He ran well at this distance before, and he’s a very cool horse. It’s a good family.”

Turf Star’s other try at 1 1/16 miles came last fall at Keeneland in the Bourbon (G2), when he stalked the pace racing inside, dropped back to fourth midway through but was persistent and wound up second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by two-time graded winner Final Score. Motion opted to bypass the one-mile Dania Beach Jan. 1 at Gulfstream and train up to this spot.

“He was beaten [5 ¾] lengths at the Breeders’ Cup with a pretty good effort,” Motion said. “We freshened him up after Del Mar. He’s had a number of breezes and is doing very well. I didn’t want to run him too quickly down here so I skipped the first one but I think the timing is right for him.”

Tyler Gaffalione, who won last week’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) on Skippylongstocking, rides Turf Star from Post 6 in a field of eight. Rated as the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, Turf Star will be racing over his fifth turf course in as many starts.

“It’s funny when people say that about my horses because we just take it for granted that they’ll run anywhere. It’s kind of what we do, I guess. I don’t really think about it,” said Motion, who won the inaugural 2012 Kitten’s Joy with Howe Great. “He’s a really, really kind horse to ride.”

The 9-5 program favorite is D.J. Stable’s Alpyland, who extended his win streak to three races with a 1 ½-length triumph in the Dania Beach, his season and stakes debut. Prior to that the Vekoma gelding graduated in his fourth start and second on the turf last October at Keeneland before finding success in his first try against winners gone one mile Dec. 7 at Gulfstream.

Half Hollow Stables and ProRacing Stable’s Khozalite (Post 1, 10-1) returns to the grass after winning the Affirmed division of the Florida Sire Stakes sprinting seven furlongs and finishing fourth in the FSS In Reality going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. In his lone turf try, Khozalite won a one-mile maiden special weight last August at Gulfstream by two lengths.

“His second career race he won over it so we know he is going to like the grass and the distance. He’s doing very well. He’s ready. He’s a good horse and I’m very confident he’s going to run well,” trainer Jose D’Angelo said. “We noticed early that he was a good horse on the grass and really liked the grass. We tried to make the stallion series, we got one [win], and now we are back on the grass. He worked the other day on it pretty good. The grass is going to be better for him.”

Silverton Hill’s Thousandsticks (Post 5, 7-2) is set to make his stakes debut in the Kitten’s Joy off back-to-back wins over Gulfstream’s turf course. He graduated by 3 ½ lengths going one mile Dec. 6 and came back with a popular front-running 1 ¾-length triumph at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 11, both under Mario Gutierrez, who gets the return call.

“I’ve really got a good feeling about him. I think he’s potentially a very nice horse in the making,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “He’s got a high cruising speed. He’s a big, strong horse and he can kick again when you need him. I think when you’ve got that sort of tactical speed it’s always very dangerous. He seems to really like what he does and he’s getting better with each race. I think he could be a very nice 3-year-old as we get into the spring and summer.”

Glorious Boy (Post 4, 8-1), fifth in the Dania Beach after winning the Nov. 28 Pulpit over the all-weather Tapeta course; Chalky White (Post 3, 30-1), Knoty Knicks (Post 7, 10-1) and Redland Rebels (Post 8, 8-1), unraced since a 6 ¾-length maiden triumph going a mile Aug. 3 on the Gulfstream turf, complete the field.

Bred and owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Kitten’s Joy won nine of 14 starts and more than $2 million in purse earnings over three seasons of racing. Seven of his victories came in graded-stakes including Gulfstream’s Palm Beach (G3) during his 2004 Eclipse Award season as champion grass horse.