Multiple graded stakes-winning
3-year-old filly Kathmanblu will be nominated to the Grade 1, $500,000
TVG Alabama, a 1 1/4-mile dirt race on August 20, and the Grade 2, $150,000
Woodford Reserve Lake Placid, a 1 1/8-mile turf race one day later.
The daughter of Bluegrass Cat, owned
by Five D Thoroughbreds and trained by Ken McPeek, has scored stakes wins on
both surfaces, although her two graded victories – the Grade 2 Golden Rod and
the Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra – came on dirt. In her most recent two starts,
Kathmanblu finished sixth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on dirt and then fourth
in the Grade 3 Regret on grass.
“We’re going to nominate her to the
Alabama and see how it pans out,” said McPeek’s assistant trainer, Lars
Becdelamotte, “Numbers-wise, she’s better on the grass. Most likely it’s the
Lake Placid.”
Kathmanblu is seeking to regain her
form. She was the third choice in the wagering in the Kentucky Oaks, where she
tired in the stretch, and the beaten favorite in the Regret.
“After the Oaks, we backed off her
and gave her a rest at the farm, and she gained a lot of weight,” Becdelamotte
said. “She is doing pretty well.”
McPeek, who celebrated his 49th
birthday on August 2, will have 20 stalls this fall at Belmont Park.