Champion Big Blue Kitten Makes 2016 Debut in Woodford Reserve on Derby Day

Champion Big Blue Kitten Makes 2016 Debut in Woodford Reserve on Derby Day: Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Big Blue Kitten, the champion older turf male of 2015, headlines a field of 13 entered Wednesday for the 29th running of the $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) run at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course Saturday.

The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic is one of six graded stakes leading up to the 142nd running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and one of three Grade I races on the program.

Sprinters will be in the spotlight for the 30th running of the $300,000 Humana Distaff (GI) for fillies and mares and the 82nd running of the $500,000 Churchill Downs (GII), both at seven furlongs. Also on the Derby undercard are two Grade II turf tests – the 31st running of the $300,000 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile and the $300,000 American Turf – as well as the 92nd running of the $250,000 Pat Day Mile (GIII).
The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic will go as the 11th race with a 5:25 p.m. (all times Eastern) post time.

Trained by Chad Brown, Big Blue Kitten will be making his 2016 debut after a campaign that included two Grade I victories and a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (GI). Joe Bravo has the mount and will break from post position 12.

Chief among Big Blue Kitten’s rivals is Slumber (GB).

Owned by Michael Dubb, Sheep Pond Partners and Bethlehem Stables’ Slumber also will be making his 2016 debut. Slumber was a half-length behind Big Blue Kitten in the Breeders’ Cup Turf to conclude a campaign that also included a victory in the Manhattan (GI). Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on Slumber and will break from post position six.

The field for the Woodford Reserve, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Grand Tito (Emisael Jaramillo, 120 pounds), Chocolate Ride (Javier Castellano, 120), Bolo (Mike Smith, 118), Danish Dynaformer (John Velazquez, 118), Reporting Star (Luis Saez, 118), Slumber (GB) (Ortiz Jr., 120), Midnight Storm (Victor Espinoza, 120), Divisidero (Edgar Prado, 120), Triple Threat (FR) (Jose Lezcano, 120), Tourist (Florent Geroux, 118), World Approval (Julien Leparoux, 120), Big Blue Kitten (Bravo, 124) and Kasaqui (ARG) (Paco Lopez, 118).

Source: Churchill Downs