Triumphant Returns
Roman Ruler and Kitten’s Joy both turned in impressive performances in their first starts off long layoffs, with Roman Ruler winning the Dwyer by half a length over a game Flower Alley in his first race in nearly four months, and Kitten’s Joy blowing by the rest of the Firecracker field to win by a length in his first start since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last October. The four-year-old has been out this year owing to surgery last fall for a bone chip in his knee. Trainer Dale Romans, delighted at the win, told Jennie Rees, “I think he’s better than last year” (Courier-Journal). Owner Ken Ramsey has plotted out an ambitious campaign for the turf champ that will take him to the Arlington Million, the Arc de Triomphe, the Breeders’ Cup, and then the Japan Cup. “If he could win the Arc and that race in Tokyo, there would be nobody else they could compare him to as far as achievement goes,” said Ramsey.
After the Belmont Stakes, the three-year-old division looked a little lopsided — there was Afleet Alex, and then there was everyone else — but Roman Ruler’s Dwyer victory serves notice that dual classic winner Alex can expect some competition for end of the year honors. In one of the best comeback races this year, Roman Ruler moved from the back of a tight pack to the lead at the top of the stretch, and managed to keep a challenging Flower Alley at bay through the final furlong, to the relief of trainer Bob Baffert. “It was a must win,” he said after the race (New York Post). The Dwyer has Roman Ruler’s owners excited at the possibility of taking on this spring’s big horse:
Roman Ruler will stay in New York and may start next in the Haskell or the Travers.
The Times article also mentions that Bellamy Road is recovering well from a minor injury sustained in the Kentucky Derby, but probably won’t return to racing before the end of the summer. “He’s galloping right now,” said trainer Nick Zito. “Maybe we’ll have him ready by the end of Saratoga. The Travers is out. It’s too much of a long stretch to make that, a mile-and-a-quarter race with him just getting back now.”
