It isn't just three-year old colts who are heading to the track at Belmont Park on Saturday.
Some of the best fillies and mares who run on the grass are here as well in what is one of the most notable ladies' turf races of the year, the New York Stakes.
ODDS ANALYSIS
1: Kitten's Queen - 3/5 (Coupled with Stephanie's Kitten)
1A: Stephanie's Kitten – 3/5 (Coupled with Kitten's Queen)
2: Selenite – 20/1
3: White Rose – 12/1
4: Waltzing Matilda – 12/1
5: Eastern Belle – 10/1
6: Beauty Parlor – 8/1
7: Riposte – 6/1
8: Maximova – 15/1
It's just not all that fair when you get to couple the best horse in any given field with yet another horse. Stephanie's Kitten is the best of the best when it comes to running on the turf, but thanks to the fact that the owner/trainer combination of the Ramsey Family and Chad Brown put Kitten's Queen in this race as well, the two of them have to be coupled together by NYRA rules.
That has left the rest of the field reeling for sure, as no one is better than 6 to 1 aside from these two. It would be a huge shock to see anyone aside from the coupled pair take down the New York Stakes.
FAVORITE TO FOLLOW
We really wish we could uncouple Kitten's Queen from Stephanie's Kitten, because it is clear which one of these two is carrying the most weight here. Stephanie's Kitten has run in a ton of Grade 1 races in her career, and she has an awesome rating of 180.6 according to Prime Power. She has won over $2.7 million in her career in her 20 races, nine of which have been wins and 16 of which saw her hit the board.
The concern with Stephanie's Kitten is that she hasn't raced in almost three months, and the run at the Hillsborough Handicap was her only race of the year. That said, she has embarrassed a number of truly elite turfers in her career, and her off-the-pace style of running should suit her well at the long distance of 1 1/4 miles.
UNDERDOG TO WATCH
Waltzing Matilda is an interesting filly to watch in this one. She is just four years old, and has never raced in America in her career, which could be problematic.
There isn't theoretically a lot to like here for a filly who has just one win in 11 career races, especially knowing that she has had just $45,672 in career earnings.
However, to come to this race at Belmont Park is showing a lot of confidence, and for good reason. Her Beyer Speed Ratings in the UK have been better than what most of these fillies and mares have been capable of, and the addition of Lasix prior to this race could really help her out as well.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
That said, this is still a race which will belong to Stephanie's Kitten. She'll take up a nice spot at the rear of the field for the first half mile or so before she makes her move, and she'll get an assist here from the front-running Kitten's Queen, who will push the pace of this race from the get go.
If Beauty Parlor and Riposte, both of which are big starters in their own right, get pushed to very quick fractions, this race is as good as over with.
Stephanie's Kitten should come up from behind, and we think she'll end up winning the New York Stakes by a solid three or more lengths.
Play Stephanie's Kitten to win the New York Stakes
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