Bobby's Kitten Saves Best for Last

Bobby's Kitten Saves Best for Last
Photo: Zoe Metz / Eclipse Sportswire

Bobby’s Kitten, who seemed to leave himself in park on the hill during the early stages of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, rocketed home from last in the final 1/16 of a mile to claim victory over favored, No Nay Never by a widening ½ length. Undrafted, who moved almost in tandem with Bobby’s Kitten finished a fast closing third just another nose back.

The dramatic finish by breeder/owner Ken Ramsey’s self-proclaimed “best ever” homebred gave trainer Chad Brown his third Breeders’ Cup winner while denying trainer Wesley Ward his third, who trained both the second and third place finishers. 

Brown had previous winners Lady Eli in the Juvenile Filly Turf and Dayatthespa in the Filly and Mare Turf. Ward had a winner each on Friday and Saturday with Hootenanny taking the Juvenile Turf and Judy the Beauty in the Filly and Mare Sprint. 

Ramsey’s Stephanie’s Kitten just missed a similar finish a few races before when the five-year-old daughter of Kitten’s Joy almost ended up in the grandstand turning for home in the Filly and Mare Turf finishing a fast closing second. 

An elated Ramsey, who made sure to pose with his wife, Sarah, in the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle with their championship trophy, said Bobby’s Kitten is likely to travel to Ascot next June to race in front of Queen Elizabeth. Leading sire, Kitten’s Joy, unbelievably got his first Breeders’ Cup with Bobby’s Kitten. 

Bobby’s Kitten hit his best strides as frontrunner Reneesgotzip started to back up in mid-stretch. As usual splits coming down Santa Anita’s hillside course were ridiculously fast, :21.69 for the first quarter mile and :43.67 for half mile. For a brief moment, Tightend Touchdown got to the lead along the rail, then No Nay Never moved in the middle of the track. Further out, Bobby’s Kitten was flying.

Winning jockey, Joel Rosario, thought his chances ended just after the gates opened. “I thought I had no shot, but he gave me a huge turn of foot.” This was understatement of the day.

Brown whose weekend was just a tad better than Ward’s gave full credit to his entire racing team. “I’m down here in the winner’s circle getting the trophies and doing the interviews, but I have so many hard working people under me who don’t get the credit. I’m just so happy for all of them and so proud of them.” 

Bobby’s Kitten paid $16.40 for the win and his human connections received $550,000. 

Tony Bada Bing began his lifelong quest of finding winners more than 35 years ago as a fifth grade student. This is when his grandfather first took him to the many Off Track Betting facilities sprinkled throughout Long Island, NY. While many kids his age were clamoring to hit the beach or an amusement park during summer vacation, Bada Bing was spending it in stuffy, smoked-filled rooms filled with retirees and reprobates listening to Marshall Cassidy on tape delay calling Saratoga.

This passion was further lit by his father, who took Bada Bing to East Boston's Suffolk Downs, only after Bada Bing learned to read the Racing Form. For most of his young adult life a summer rotation of NY OTB, Suffolk, and the now shuddered Rockingham Park in Salem, NH filled his betting days. 

Notable winners along the way: Willow Hour's and Runaway Groom's Travers wins as well as Derby winners Grindstone, Thunder Gulch (which he called in print the day before) and Super Saver. His latest quest is to hit the Kentucky Derby superfecta.

Bada Bing plays tournaments at Derby Wars, bets through several account wagering sites and has blogged about Thoroughbred racing for the past four years. He prefers the bigger meets of NYRA and California as well as seasonal meets of Gulfstream, Churchill and Oaklawn. He likes vertical, multirace wagers like Pick 4s.

He has produced several Horse Racing Nation videos, in addition to blogging. He can be found at Twitter @tonycbadabing. While away from the track Bada Bing enjoys time with his wife, who tolerates and supports his passion, and his two children.

 

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