Kowboy Karma stretches out

Seven years ago, trainer Larry Jones purchased Just Jan for $35,000 as a yearling. She recorded just one runnerup effort in three starts while racing for Jones, his wife, Cindy, and partner Michael Pressley before she was retired to broodmare duty.

Jones bred her to Kodiak Kowboy, whom he had saddled to three graded stakes wins, including the Grade 1 Carter Handicap to begin his 2009 Eclipse Award champion sprinter campaign.

The progeny of those two familiar runners has already paid back Jones and Pressley and looks poised to continue ascending. Kowboy Karma is already after the second stakes win of his young career in the $75,000 Sapling Stakes as Monmouth cards a pair of juvenile stakes on its Saturday program.

Kowboy Karma won his debut by 12 1/2 lengths in July at Delaware Park, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 84, far and away the highest number in this field. He returned for a 2 1/2-length score in the Strike Your Colors Stakes at Delaware, posting a 74 Beyer and boosting his bankroll to $50,400.

Alex Cintron, aboard for both outings, remains in the irons as the gelding stretches out to a mile. His two starts have come at six and 5 1/2 furlongs.

A few others in the Sapling field have stakes experience. Admiral Jimmy, one of three entrants for Todd Pletcher, finished third in the Tremont Stakes with a Beyer of 70, the second-highest figure in this field. He then finished sixth in the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes and is now dropping back down to listed stakes company. Stablemate Bal Harbour finished fifth in the Sanford and fourth in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.

Pletcher’s third entrant is Colt and mississippi, who enters off a debut win going seven furlongs at Saratoga, making him the only entrant in this field to have won at that distance prior to trying this one-mile trip. Roaming Union, second by a neck to Coltandmississippi, comes in as a maiden for Kelly Breen.

The Ohio-bred Awaken is testing open company off a sevenlength victory in the Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes. The New Jersey-bred Phonemyposseagain has never finished worse than second in four starts and most recently was second in the Tyro Stakes on the Monmouth turf.

Sorority: ‘Bronx’ must improve

The $60,000 Sorority Stakes for 2-year-old fillies also features an unbeaten stakes winner in Bronx Beauty. The filly from the first crop of Liaison won her debut by seven lengths for trainer Anthony Margotta, then won the off-the-turf Colleen Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths. However, she earned only a 46 Beyer in the Colleen, nowhere near the top mark in this field.

Pacific Gale, in from New York for John Kimmel, owns the field’s top number with a 65 for her debut victory at Belmont. She subsequently finished sixth in the Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga.

Little Dipper, based at Monmouth with Breen, rolled by 6 1/2 lengths on debut over Beaux Arts. She then finished third in the Colleen behind Bronx Beauty and Beaux Arts.

The regally bred Jehozacat, a homebred for Lael Stable, steps up to stakes company off a 5 1/2-length debut victory at Laurel for trainer Arnaud Delacour. The daughter of three-time reigning leading sire Tapit is out of the multiple Grade 1 winner Precious Kitten, dam of multiple Grade 1-placed Divining Rod. Precious Kitten is a half-sister to champion Kitten’s Joy, and it is the family of champion Dreaming of Anna.