NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Kansas Kis in fine fettle for Fantasy at Oaklawn Park

by Keith McCalmont

• Kansas Kis in fine fettle for G3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park
• Noda barn ticking over well during delay
• Notables on the Belmont work tab

Perrine Time Thoroughbreds' Kansas Kis, who earned 20 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points for her runner-up effort in the Busher Invitational on March 7 at the Big A, will return to action in the Grade 3, $400,000 Fantasy slated for May 1 at Oaklawn Park.

The 1 1/16-mile test, offering 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers, has drawn an elite 14-horse field led by Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner British Idiom, who earned the Eclipse Award as champion 2-Year-Old Filly.

Kansas Kis is trained by Ray Handal, who oversees a bustling stable of 30 horses at Belmont Park. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Constitution posted a five-furlong breeze in 1:02.78 Saturday on the Belmont training track.

"It was a nice little cruise around and she galloped out nicely," said Handal. "She's an aggressive filly and gets a lot out of her training. We're just trying to keep her happy with that workout today."

Sporting a record of 1-3-2 from seven starts and purse earnings of $141,650, Kansas Kis graduated in a January 23 maiden tilt at Aqueduct and followed up with a strong second to Ilchester Cheetah in a February 21 allowance sprint.

Kansas Kis made a memorable stakes debut in the $250,000 Busher Invitational in which she opened up a 3 1/2-length lead at the top of the stretch, but was collared in the final stride by Water White.

Handal said the Busher effort, when stretching out to a mile for the first time, confirmed his confidence in the filly purchased for $57,000 at the April OBS Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

"She really showed everybody that she's the type of horse I thought she was in the Busher," said Handal. "She ran a fast-closing second in the allowance to Jerry O'Dwyer's filly [Ilchester Cheetah], and I knew the way she galloped out that she would get better with distance.

"She's steadily improved in each start and I think she'll continue to do so," continued Handal. "She just turned three today. She's still growing into herself and the time off has done her wonders. I think she's going to make a lot of noise down there and run a big race."

Kansas Kis will exit post 6 under Florent Geroux in the Grade 3 Fantasy.

New York-bred Timely Tradition, a 6-year-old stakes-placed daughter of First Defence, is on the also-eligible list on the May 1 Oaklawn card in an optional-claiming sprint. She breezed a half-mile in 49.93 Saturday on the Belmont dirt training track.

Imperial Racing's Celtic Striker, a Kentucky-bred sophomore son of Congrats, is nominated to the Grade 1 $750,000 Arkansas Derby set for May 2 at Oaklawn, and is also under consideration for an undercard allowance race.

Handal said he'll wait and see how the draw plays out before making any decisions.

"We're not under any pressure. I think New York racing will start up again soon enough and we're fine waiting," said Handal.

Celtic Striker breezed five-eighths in 1:04.75 Saturday morning. That effort followed up on a bullet five-eighths breeze in 1:00.08 on April 17.

"They went really fast last week and he got the bullet. I wanted something easy this morning, so I took the blinkers off and he was looking around out there," said Handal. "When you put the blinkers on, he gets aggressive. He doesn't really have a middle - he's either on or off. He does everything off the bridle in the morning, but when you put the blinkers on he gets his game face on."

Celtic Striker graduated at second asking at Monmouth Park in a maiden sprint contested on a sloppy track in October. He launched his 3-year-old campaign with an even fourth in the Jerome on New Year's Day at the Big A ahead of a front-running optional-claiming win on February 8 at Parx.

Last out, leaving from the inside post in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct, Celtic Striker showed brief speed before finishing off-the-board.

A $100,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Handal said Celtic Striker should continue to improve as he matures.

"He's a nice colt and he's going to keep on getting better," said Handal. "Mentally, he's not quite there yet, but he has a lot of raw talent. When he puts it all together, he'll be a serious horse. I think he's a true two-turn horse and the more races and the more miles he gets, the better he's going to be."

VinLaur Racing Stables, Brian Hahn, and Taste Of Victory Stables' I'llhandalthecash finished sixth, defeated less than three lengths, while making her 4-year-old debut in the Captiva Island on March 7 at Gulfstream Park. 

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Point of Entry was steadied before rallying wide down the lane in the five-furlong turf sprint won by graded-stakes placed Girls Know Best, who garnered a 92 Beyer Speed Figure for the winning effort.

She has since returned to Belmont Park, where she graduated in May at second asking, and breezed a half-mile in 49.64 on April 20. Purchased for $150,000 at the April OBS Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, the talented bay is out of the stakes-winning Ghostzapper mare Sudden Ghost.

Handal said he decided against finding another out-of-town option for I'llhandalthecash.

 "She breezes well on the dirt but she's going to stay here for now," said Handal.

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Noda barn ticking over well during delay

Trainer Orlando Noda is currently overseeing a barn of 14 horses at Belmont Park with half the stable showing up on the work tab this morning led by popular New York-bred stakes winner T Loves a Fight, who covered five-eighths in a swift 1:00 flat.

Claimed for $10,000 in May 2019, T Loves a Fight has made 13 starts for Noda Brothers posting a record of 4-2-2 including a memorable three-race win streak last summer that provided the up-and-coming conditioner his first win at Saratoga.

Bred in the Empire State by Hoffman Thoroughbreds, the 6-year-old Girolamo gelding was off-the-board last out in the Grade 3 Toboggan on January 18 at the Big A.

"We gave him five weeks off after his last race. He's doing well," said Noda.

First Line, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred son of First Samurai, continues to train forwardly for Noda. The maiden chestnut earned a 67 Beyer Speed Figure for a second-place effort last out on February 28 at Aqueduct.

He breezed in company Saturday with 5-year-old Danny California, a four-time winner who captured a nine-furlong allowance last out on February 23 at the Big A. The pair went six furlongs with First Line clocked in 1:13.18 and Danny California in 1:14.18.

"First Line worked today against one of my best horses right now and he went in hand," said Noda. "He went six furlongs in 1:13 and galloped out in 1:27. He's sharp."

Noda said that New York-bred Titan's Will, a sophomore gelding owned by Zilla Racing Stables and Acqua Nova Stable, is currently enjoying some downtime after finishing fifth in his stakes debut in the Damon Runyon on March 15 at the Big A.

"The owners decided to give him a little time off. He's on the farm in Kentucky," said Noda.

Noda enjoyed a successful start to 2020 posting a record of 8-9-6 from 38 starts with purse earnings of $377,172 at the abbreviated Aqueduct winter meet. His up-and-coming barn finished fourth in the Under 20's Claiming Challenge which earned Noda an additional $11,000.

"That really helped out and paid a few bills," said Noda. "We had horses in the money in stakes and 'starters' that didn't count, but the ones we had in claiming races did really well."

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Notables on the Belmont work tab

A number of notable stakes-winners tested Belmont Park's dirt training track this week led Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' Mind Control who covered a half-mile in 47.71 this morning.

Trained by Gregg Sacco, the 4-year-old Stay Thirsty colt's ledger includes a pair of Grade 1 wins at Saratoga Race Course, beginning with the Grade 1 Hopeful as a juvenile and the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens in August.

Also on Saturday, the Mark Hennig-trained Cash Offer breezed a half-mile in 49.74. The New York-bred daughter of Shackleford captured the La Verdad in January at the Big A.

On Tuesday, trainer John Terranova breezed a quartet of stable stars in Killybegs Captain, Stan the Man, Funny Guy and Three Jokers.

Curragh Stables' graded-stakes winner Killybegs Captain and Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable's multiple stakes winner Funny Guy both worked six furlongs in 1:13.23.

Long Lake Stable's Stan the Man, who boasts a record of 22-6-6-2 with purse earnings of $406,374, breezed a half-mile in 48.09, while Funny Guy's 3-year-old half-brother Three Jokers, by Twirling Candy, went six furlongs in 1:15.11.

Ice Princess, trained by Danny Gargan for owners Flying P Stable, R.A. Hill Stable and Corms Racing Stable, breezed a half-mile in 49.80 Wednesday on the Belmont Park training track. Kendrick Carmouche will guide Ice Princess from the inside post in Friday's Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park. The New York-bred sophomore filly is also cross-entered in the $80,000 Gardenia where she drew post 9.

Repole Stable's Dream Bigger, a grey son of Mission Impazible bred in the Empire State by Sequel New York, Twin Creeks Racing and Pamela Zielinski, went five-eighths in 1:03.42 on Wednesday. The talented sophomore boasts a trio of stakes wins includes scores in the Breeders' Futurity at Finger Lakes and the Notebook and Damon Runyon at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Mark Casse sent out a pair of Grade 1 winners to breeze Thursday on the Belmont dirt training track including last year's Belmont Stakes hero Sir Winston and Spinaway winner Perfect Alibi who both worked five-eighths in 1:01.65.