Thousandsticks gets third straight win, Coglianese Photo
Gulfstream Park Press
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Silverton Hill’s Thousandsticks, in a change of tactics for his stakes debut, sat behind Redland Rebels before engaging with the longshot pacesetter in mid-stretch and emerging with a hard-fought neckvictory in Saturday’s $175,000 Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream Park.
The 15th running of the 1 1/16-mile Kitten’s Joy for 3-year-olds on the turf was the first of five stakes, two graded, worth $975,000 in purses on a 12-race program anchored by the $275,000 Holy Bull (G3) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).
Ridden by Mario Gutierrez for trainer Brian Lynch, Thousandsticks ($8.60) covered a firm turf course in 1:40.23 to extend his win streak to three races. It was the sixth stakes win of the Championship Meet for Lynch, and fourth with Gutierrez aboard.
“Another game effort from him,” Lynch said of Thousandsticks, a $90,000 son of Twirling Candy. “He’s still green and he’s still learning, and I think he’s still taking us down a road of development there. I think he’s cut out to be a very nice little 3-years-old as the summer goes on. He still a little waspy to saddle and he raced a little green there today, but he certainly dug in when he had to.”
Redland Rebels was hustled to the front from his outermost post by jockey Junior Alvarado, going the opening quarter-mile in 22.74 seconds. Rather than duel for the top spot, Gutierrez pressed the pace in second, racing to the leader’s outside flanked by Turf Star in the three path with 6-5 favorite Alpyland settled in fourth.
“It was a good trip,” Gutierrez said. “We broke out of there and wanted to see what the competition was going to be, whether they were going to take the lead or were going to let us take the lead. Me and Mr. Lynch talked about it and if somebody wanted it, we were OK with letting them take it. We would lay close to them, and that’s how it worked out.”
The order remained unchanged after a half-mile in 46.52 seconds, and Redland Rebels clung to a short lead approaching the stretch as Thousandsticks loomed a threat. Once straightened for home Gutierrez set his sights on the stubborn leader and edged clear late to earn a third win from five lifetime starts.
“There was a bit of pace early, and we had worked him where he had sat off horses so we were comfortable that he could do that,” Lynch said. “They got the first quarter in 22 and change so they were running, and he looked comfortable just tracking him. I think the winning move was when Mario was able to squeeze in between them going halfway around the top turn and he got to maintain his position. I think had he got shot out there, it might have been a different outcome.”
Redland Rebels held seconds, three-quarters of a length ahead of Alpyland, Knoty Knicks, Glorious Boy, Turf Star and Khozalite. Chalky White was scratched.
Thousandsticks improved to 3-0 on the Gulfstream turf, graduating in a one-mile maiden special weight Dec. 6 before winning a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance Jan. 11, both in front-running fashion – by 5 ¼ combined lengths. The next grass stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream is the $200,000 Colonel Liam going one mile Feb. 28.
“Coming into spring you’ve got to look forward to this sort of 3-year-old because there’s so much good grass racing as the year goes on. He’s a horse that seems to be thriving off racing right now and he’s a robust, strong little colt so I think we’ll definitely run him back here and set him up for a race at Keeneland and hopefully Derby day,” Lynch said. “He’s an exciting young 3-year-old coming into the spring/summer.”
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.
