Kauai Katie exploded onto the racing scene as a juvenile in 2012 at Saratoga Race Course, breaking her maiden first out by 12 lengths and earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. The precocious daughter of Malibu Moon went on to take two graded stakes on the NYRA circuit that year, the Grade 2 Adirondack and Grade 2 Matron, and concluded her campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

At 3, the bay filly wasted no time getting back to the winner’s circle, rattling off three consecutive wins to begin 2013, including a pair of graded stakes at Gulfstream Park and the Road Princess at Belmont. On May 27, the talented sprinter was sent off as the 8-5 second choice in the Grade 1 Acorn, but a stumble at the start put her in an uncomfortable position tracking the early pace along the rail. She went on to finish third, beaten seven lengths that day, and her 3-year-old season came to a premature close after a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Prioress on July 27 at Saratoga Race Course.

Kauai Katie returned to the racetrack in the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap on April 19 at Aqueduct Racetrack, and finished second to La Verdad after lagging unusually far behind the early pace. The race marked her first loss in a sprint race.

“She’s doing well,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Kauai Katie for Stonestreet Stables. “Having a run under her belt should help her move forward; I think she was just a little rusty [in her last race] and she should be much sharper this time around.”

Kauai Katie will break from post position 4 with Hall of Famer John Velazquez aboard and was installed as the 3-5 morning-line favorite.