After more than five months away from the races, LC Racing and Wellesley Stableâs Kappa Kappa is set to return to action on Saturday when she headlines the $125,000 Skipat Stakes at Laurel Park during the opening stages of one of the biggest race days on the American calendar.
The six-furlong contest for fillies and mares is one of nine stakes races supporting the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes, with Laurel Park taking centre stage this year while redevelopment work continues at historic Pimlico.
Kappa Kappa Skipat Stakes 2026
Trainer Robert E. âButchâ Reid Jr. has been patient with the Grade 2-winning filly, who has not raced since finishing sixth in the Comely Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct in December after setting the pace over nine furlongs.
The daughter of Omaha Beach enjoyed a productive three-year-old campaign despite starting late, winning three of her five starts and establishing herself as a filly with notable early speed and determination. Her standout success came in the Raven Run Stakes (G3) at Keeneland last October, where she produced a brave performance to score by a head at generous odds.
Reid had initially considered bringing her back earlier this month in the Vagrancy Stakes at Aqueduct but decided the filly needed a little more time.
âOur plan was for the Vagrancy and we werenât quite ready for that spot. She needed just a couple more weeks,â Reid said. âThen she just breezed brilliantly for me the other morning and came out of it great.â
The trainer added that recent workouts convinced the stable to aim for the Skipat on the high-profile Preakness weekend programme.
Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez takes the mount from Post 3 in a field of seven, and connections are hopeful the filly can pick up where she left off last autumn.
Kappa Kappa already owns a strong sprint résumé, including a decisive victory against older Pennsylvania-bred rivals before her Keeneland breakthrough. Reid believes her professionalism has always been one of her greatest strengths.
âSheâs a very classy filly,â he said. âShe stood perfectly in the paddock and looked like a million bucks, and she ran like it.â
The Skipat Stakes has also attracted several accomplished rivals led by Complexity Jane, a multiple stakes-winning filly trained by Brittany Russell. The Laurel Park specialist has won five of her nine starts and returns to sprinting after building much of her profile around two-turn races.
Russell admitted the shorter trip had been under consideration for some time.
âSheâs been great. Weâve been thinking about doing a little cutback with her at some stage,â the trainer said.
Texas-bred Modo arrives in strong form after consecutive stakes victories in her home state. Now trained by Kinnon LaRose following the retirement of veteran conditioner Tom Amoss, the filly has developed into a consistent performer with more than $301,000 in earnings.
Also among the contenders is Striker Has Dial, runner-up in last yearâs Skipat and a mare with an admirable record of consistency, having finished in the first three in 11 of her 14 starts.
Local hopes may rest with Passage East, who has thrived at Laurel Park with three victories and three runner-up finishes from six appearances at the Maryland venue. Her winning sequence ended when third at Colonial Downs in March, but she remains one of the more reliable performers in the field.
Sporting Lady and Benedetta complete a competitive line-up for the 33rd edition of the sprint.
The Skipat Stakes itself honours one of the most durable and admired racemares of her era. Bred in Connecticut, Skipat won 26 races and earned more than $614,000 between 1977 and 1981, including two editions of the Barbara Fritchie Stakes. Her remarkable career even included a successful return to racing after being retired for breeding duties.
Saturdayâs renewal may lack a dominant favourite, but the return of Kappa Kappa gives the race a compelling storyline as Preakness weekend begins in earnest at Laurel Park.
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