Competitive Field Assembles in $60,000 Cooper Stakes

Kitty Wine is the 5/2 morning line favorite for trainer Eddie Kenneally after closing her 2014 campaign with a strong third place effort in the $100,000 South Beach December 13 at Gulfstream.  The six year-old mare raced a total of six times in 2014 with just two starts since May 24.  Julian Leparoux, who has ridden Kitty Wine in each of her last two starts, will be in the irons again.  The pair will break from post eight and should be rolling late.  Kenneally connects at a 16% clip with his runners returning from layoffs of 61-180 days. 

Granny Mc's Kitten returns fresh 

Granny Mc’s Kitten (3/1) is another late runner returning from a slight layoff.  The Chad Brown trainee last raced December 20 at Gulfstream in the Tropical Park Oaks where she finished fifth in a race that came back ultra-live.  Sandiva, the winner that day, returned to win a Grade 3 event February 7 at Gulfstream and the third place finisher, Dancing House, took a competitive allowance race in her next start. Granny Mc’s Kitten has worked steadily, and Brown boasts an excellent 29% strike rate with runners returning from 31-60 day layoffs. 

Sexy will be on the lead 

I’m Already Sexy (4/1) has the speed and class to wire this field.  The Wayne Catalano trainee gets some class relief after competing in three straight graded stakes events.  She was a non-factor in the Grade 3 Endeavor January 31 at Tampa, but should be much tighter for this.