**Please see the attached photos of Overanalyze and Kauai Katie from today’s Futurity and Matron, respectively, at
Sunday, September 30, 2012
PLETCHER SWEEPS JUVENILE STAKES WITH
By Jenny Kellner
ELMONT, N.Y. – Overwhelming favorite Kauai Katie picked up her second Grade 2 victory and ran her record to 3-for-3 on Sunday afternoon at Belmont Park, taking charge at the top of the stretch and rolling to an easy 7 ½-length victory over Baby J in the 105th running of the $200,000 Matron for 2-year-old fillies.
Two races later, stablemate Overanalyze completed the sweep of Sunday’s juvenile stakes for trainer Todd Pletcher when he closed widest of all through the stretch to take the 122nd running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Futurity.
Kauai Katie, who carries the colors of Stonestreet Stables, tracked Baby J through fractions of 22.88 and 46.67 seconds before drawing alongside that rival on the far turn. Given her cue by jockey Rosie Napravnik at the head of the lane, Kauai Katie quickly separated herself from the field and cruised under the wire in 1:11.26 for the six furlongs.
“It was the first time she’s been behind someone in the early part of the race,” said Pletcher of the Malibu Moon filly, who followed her 12-length maiden victory in July with a 2 ¾-length win in the
The 1-5 favorite, Kauai Katie returned $2.40 for a $2 win bet. With the winner’s purse of $120,000, she now has amassed $288,000.
Pletcher and owner Barbara Banke said a start in the Breeders’ Cup on November 2 and 3 at Santa Anita Park was under consideration for Kauai Katie, possibly in the Juvenile Sprint or the Juvenile Fillies.
“We‘re going to plot our strategy,” said Banke. “We’ll hear from Todd maybe tomorrow and see how she’s doing. She did this easy. I hope she got something out of it; she was huffing a little bit.”
Baby J was 1 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Seasoned Warrior, with Unabashed and Doubled following her under the wire. Sweet Shirley Mae was scratched.
Mike Repole’s Overanalyze rebounded from a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Three Chimneys Hopeful to post a mild upset of the Futurity with a 3 ¼-length triumph over Carried Interest.
With Hall of Famer
His winning time for the six furlongs was 1:11.46.
“We were hoping to maybe be in a stalking-type position, but he didn’t break great, then he got clobbered at the start and ended up way back,” said Pletcher of Overanalyze, who returned $13.60 for a $2 win bet. “He recovered well and was running into the dirt, and kept coming, showed a new dimension, finished really well and galloped out strongly. It was a pretty encouraging race.”
Pletcher said he was not sure if Overanalyze, who earned $120,000, would start in the Breeders’ Cup.
“We have a few things to figure out with a few of these [2-year-olds] and see how he comes out of it and go from there,” said the trainer.
Weekend Hideaway was third, followed by Handsome Jack,
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