Kauai Katie pulls an easy 8 length victory to land Old Hat Stakes
Todd Pletcher trained, Kauai Katie, scared off competition in the first 3-year-old stakes race of south Florida, when she entered the Grade 3, $100,000 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and on 1 January, 2012, the daughter of Malibu Moon made a flying start
to her 3-year-old campaign by winning the 6 furlong dash.
It was a stroll in the park for Kauai Katie as she went on to land the Old Hat Stakes by a staggering margin of 8 lengths. She clearly was a class-apart in the five horse field, as Cor Cor finished a distant second.
Jockey John Velazquez partnered Kauai Katie for the first time, and the couple made things look real easy, as they got the 6 furlong distance in 1 minute and 9.66 seconds for owner Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Farm.
The Old Hat Stakes was Kauai Katie’s fourth victory in five career starts, after breaking from the inside post and sent as the 1 to 9 favourite.
Her only blemish was when she capped off the previous year by finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park on 2 November, 2012. It was the first time she was going over 1 1/16 miles, after three sprints in a row, and
the two-mile test proved a little difficult for the Kentucky bred filly.
In the Old Hat Stakes, despite breaking well, Kauai Katie allowed Cor Cor to take the lead, and Velazquez was content in sitting back and track the early fractions carved by Cor Cor, who downed the opening quarter mile in 22.22 seconds and half mile in 44.99
seconds.
In the upper stretch, the lead was turned to Kauai Katie, and from then on in, she steadily increased her advantage until the wire, as the show position was secured by Power Lady.
"It was really a two horse race," remarked jockey John Velazquez. "I wasn't going to let Cor Cor get away too easily so I put some pressure on her. When I got to her, Katie pulled away from them and she made it easy for me."
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