G2-winner Kappa Kappa ships in for G2 Honorable Miss presented by Mionetto
LC Racing and Wellesley Stable’s Kappa Kappa will look to secure her second Grade 2 score in Sunday’s $250,000 Honorable Miss presented by Mionetto, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Omaha Beach boasts a 7-4-1-0 record topped by a gritty head victory in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Raven Run in October at Keeneland.
There, the Parx Racing-based Kappa Kappa exited post 9-of-10 and vied for the lead through an opening quarter-mile in 22.81 seconds and the half-mile in 45.94. She was headed by Vodka With a Twist in the lane, but battled back to her inside to notch the narrow win in a final time of 1:23.90 over the fast track. The strong effort, at odds of 27-1 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, earned a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure after drawing in from the also-eligible list.
“She wasn't in the body of the race, so we had to wait until the day before to ship her all the way down to Keeneland. For her to respond the way she did was impressive,” recalled Reid, Jr. “We never had a chance to school her, but when I saw her in the paddock, even though there was a big crowd around, she was as cool as a cucumber just checking out the scene. I thought we were in pretty good shape, and it turned out alright.”
Kappa Kappa completed her sophomore season with a pacesetting sixth in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Comely in December at Aqueduct before a winter respite.
“We knew we were going to stop on her at the end of the year, so that was more of an exploratory race to see how far she wanted to go,” Reid, Jr. said. “I wouldn't hesitate to go a one-turn mile with her, but I think a mile and an eighth was just a little out of her range.
“She really filled out nicely over the winter,” Reid, Jr. added. “Barry Eisaman had her down at Ocala and did a tremendous job with her.”
Kappa Kappa initially targeted the Grade 3 Vagrancy on May 3 at Belmont at the Big A for her seasonal debut, but scratched in favor of the six-furlong Listed Skipat on May 16 at Laurel Park. There, she landed fourth after a troubled, stumbling start in a race won by returning rival Striker Has Dial.
The talented chestnut was entered back in a six-furlong optional-claiming sprint on June 23 at Parx but did not race after heavy rain forced the cancelation of the final four races on the program. However, the race went ahead on July 1 and Kappa Kappa did not disappoint, leading gate-to-wire under Mychel Sanchez as the prohibitive favorite.
“We got off to a little bit of a rough start in the Skipat at Laurel,” Reid, Jr. said. “Her last race got canceled and moved to a week later, but she got a nice race in and it should be a good confidence builder for her.
“We're coming back a bit quick, but she came out of that race excellent,” Reid, Jr. continued. “She never missed an oat, her coat looks great and she's holding her weight well. We'll go ahead and take a shot. We're expecting her to run well.”
Kappa Kappa shipped in to Saratoga Wednesday and will exit post 2 on Sunday under Irad Ortiz, Jr., who teamed up with Reid, Jr. to capture the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap here with Poseidon’s Warrior in 2012.
Reid, Jr. said he will leave race strategy in the capable hands of the five-time Eclipse Award-winning rider.
“She doesn't need the lead and when she's doing it, she's doing it on her own,” Reid, Jr. said. “It will be up to Irad to handle things, but she's a nice horse and can sit off of them. However the race comes up, she can adapt to it.
“Irad got his second Grade 1 win on a horse of mine way back when with Poseidon's Warrior,” Reid, Jr. added. “Irad and I have had great success over the years and hopefully he'll keep it going this week.”
Bred by Stone Jug Ranch, Kappa Kappa, a $65,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Pioneerof the Nile mare Pharoah’s Princess, a half-sister to Grade 2-winning New York-bred millionaire Pat On the Back.
Bell Tower Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing and Mark Stanton’s Grand Job [post 6, Junior Alvarado] has posted successive triple-digit Beyers in her last three outings, all at seven furlongs, including a prominent score in the Grade 2 Inside Information [100 BSF] in January at Gulfstream Park.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old Justify mare followed with a pair of heartbreaking nose defeats, missing by the narrowest of margins to Eclatant in the Grade 1 Madison [108 BSF] in April at Keeneland, and to Ways and Means last out in the Grade 2 Bed ‘o Roses [106 BSF] on June 5 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga.
The Kentucky-bred bay began her career as a juvenile in Ireland for trainer Joseph O’Brien before joining the Mott barn for her sophomore season, graduating at first stateside asking in October 2024 at Belmont at the Big A. She romped to a decisive victory that December with an allowance score versus elders at Churchill.
Last year, Grand Job made three starts, including a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Royal Delta and an optional-claiming score, both at Gulfstream Park.
Grand Job, initially purchased for $105,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the multiple stakes-placed Ishiguru mare Sure Route. She has banked $510,851 through a 12-4-6-0 ledger.
Maida [post 1, Sheldon Russell], a Kentucky homebred for Harry Papaleo’s Goodfella’s, has won 4-of-6 starts, arriving from a 10 1/2-length frontrunning score in the 6 1/2-furlong Alma North on June 27 at Laurel Park.
Trained by Brittany Russell and with returning pilot Sheldon Russell aboard, the 4-year-old Improbable bay showed the way through splits of 21.72 seconds, 45.76 and 1:11.72 over the fast main track, stopping the clock in 1:18.44 for a facile score over dual Grade 3-winner Grammy Girl. The winning effort returned a career-best 101 Beyer.
Maida added blinkers to graduate at second asking last June at Laurel and has raced with them since, including a win in the six-furlong Weather Vane at the Maryland oval ahead of a sixth-place effort to Kappa Kappa in the Raven Run after a slow start.
Maida, out of the Grade 3-winning Five Star Day mare Eve Giselle, has worked back twice over the Laurel dirt, including a bullet half-mile breeze in 47.20 July 19 that was ranked first of 75 efforts at the distance.
A talented field includes dual Grade 3-winning millionaire Haulin Ice [post 4, Flavien Prat] for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.; multiple stakes-winner Striker Has Dial [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Horacio De Paz; four-time winner Do Gooder [post 7, Edgard Zayas, blinkers ON] for trainer Jena Antonucci; and two-time winner Going Steady [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione] for conditioner Robert Medina.
The Honorable Miss is slated as Race 8 on Sunday’s 10-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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