By Steve Sherack
Dr. Kapur (c, 2, McKinzie–Ava's Kitten, by Kitten's Joy), a game second, beaten just a neck, after setting a fast pace in the coveted Travers Day maiden at Saratoga Aug. 23, ran to the money as the 4-5 favorite with a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' performance at Keeneland Thursday.
The Ken Ramsey homebred was hustled to the front, but was immediately hounded to his inside through an opening quarter in :22.47. He began to get some breathing room on the far turn, kicked for home as the one to catch and leveled off nicely in the stretch while kept to task by Irad Ortiz, Jr. to graduate with authority by 2 3/4 lengths. Chip Honcho (Connect) was second.
The final time for seven furlongs was 1:23.71.
Dr. Kapur will be aimed at the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, per Ramsey.
“I'm so excited,” Ramsey said. “Irad was really pleased with the horse. He was actually pulling away at the finish, they weren't gaining on him. I'm keeping an open mind, but I'm high on this horse.”
Ramsey added with a laugh, “I've heard from about everybody except Dr. Kapur, but he's a surgeon, so he may be giving somebody else a kidney! His assistant said that he wanted to watch the race if he was free. He's been keeping up with the horse.”
Highlighted in our 'Second Chances' series, Dr. Kapur is named after Dr. Sandip Kapur, the surgeon who performed Ramsey's kidney transplant last year.
Dr. Kapur is the fourth 'Rising Star' for Gainesway sophomore sire McKinzie. He is out of Ramsey's stakes-winning and graded-placed homebred Ava's Kitten (Kitten's Joy). Ava's Kitten made all 13 of her career starts on grass and her full-brother Real Solution carried Ramsey's famed red-and-white silks to wins in two of the top grass stakes in the country, the GI Arlington Million and GI Manhattan S. Ramsey also bred and raced Dr. Kapur's broodmare sire, the late champion grass horse and perennial leading sire Kitten's Joy.
Ava's Kitten is also represented by a yearling colt by Not This Time ($400,000 purchase by Repole Stable at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga) and an Essential Quality colt of this year. She was bred back to American Pharoah.
“What makes it even more exciting to me, he's a homebred and it's gonna show that he was bred by me and my deceased wife,” Ramsey said. “I'm glad to see her name on there also.”
6th-Keeneland, $110,000, Msw, 10-16, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.71, ft, 2 3/4 lengths.
DR. KAPUR, c, 2, by McKinzie
1st Dam: Ava's Kitten (SW & GSP, $279,771), by Kitten's Joy
2nd Dam: Reachfortheheavens, by Pulpit
3rd Dam: Reach, by Dynaformer
Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $85,643. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Kenneth L. Ramsey; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
Dr. Kapur is much the best in race 6, followed by #2 Chip Honcho and #6 Fuzzbuster pic.twitter.com/cEuSVSKG0w
— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 16, 2025
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