Katriona aims for Crown

July 21, 2006

Casie Coleman had expected to race in next week's Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands with American Ideal until an injury forced him into an early retirement last month. Ironically, just as the decision to retire her marquee pacer was announced, Coleman got the call to train another Breeders Crown eligible, KG Katriona. She will send out the four-year-old daughter of three-time Crown champion Jenna's Beach Boy in Saturday night's $40,000 mares open, a final tune-up for the $331,500 Mare Pace on July 29.

"American Ideal was my first Breeders Crown starter last year," Coleman said. "He bruised his canon bone and there was no way we could have had him ready for these stakes races, so he was retired. It was just bad timing. I'd love to have that higher profile horse like him again. KG Katriona is my best shot at stakes races this year and she's been a nice surprise for me."

Owner Gordon Bryan of Calgary, Alberta, sent KG Katriona to Coleman early in June. The mare did not make a favorable first impression on her new trainer.

"When I first got her, she trained like crap," Coleman said. "She wouldn't go a mile in 2:20. I didn't like her at all. I didn't get a chance to talk to the previous trainer (Travis Umphrey) about her, but evidently that's the way she is. We learned a lot from her after her first start for us (a sixth-place finish on June 16), and everything has been good since then. Once she goes behind the gate she's all business."

KG Katriona went on to finish fourth from post 10 in the Roses Are Red final on July 1 at Mohawk.

"She left out hard in the mud that night and sat a good trip, but got a little bit tired," she said of the Roses Are Red. "She's just a little mare and not much bigger than 15 hands."

KG Katriona enters Saturday's race with a career slate of 13 wins in 28 starts and earnings of $237,479. In her most recent start, she finished second in the fillies and mares open at Mohawk.

"It's been a feeling out process with her, and she's getting better and better," she said. "The owner had her paid into this, he asked me what I thought, and I told him she raced great last Saturday. She finished second in 1:50.2. There are some really nice mares in this, but she deserves a shot at a nice purse. Plus, it's great to just to be back in the Breeders Crown." (From Meadowlands)

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