Ben's Cat Wins Laurel Dash
Sept 21, 2013 0:22:12 GMT -5
Post by Jon on Sept 21, 2013 0:22:12 GMT -5
Ben's Cat to run in Laurel Dash instead of De Francis
Owner-trainer King Leatherbury has decided to run Ben's Cat in the $100,000 Laurel Dash in Saturday's Fall Festival of Racing card at Laurel instead of the headline race on the 11-race card, the $350,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash. Leatherbury cross-entered his star pupil into both race when entries were taken Wednesday afternoon. He made his decision after handicapping the two races.
"Turf it is," Leatherbury said Friday afternoon. "It is too easy a spot."
Maryland Jockey Club handicapper Keith Feustle has established the Leatherbury homebred as the 4-5 favorite in the six-furlong turf test, a race he won two years ago. The son of Parker's Storm Cat, who became Leatherbury's first millionaire last year, has won 22 of 34 starts with 17 stakes scores for earnings of $1,635,640. He has 14 victories in 22 turf starts.
In the De Francis Dash, a six-furlong race on the main track, Ben's Cat was the 9-2 second choice in the morning line behind Sage Valley (9-5).
"There are two or three horses in the De Francis that could beat me," added Leatherbury, who ranks fifth on the all-time win list with 6,400 career victories. "Of course, I could beat them, too. If I had to run there, I would but the other race would be like turning money down that you found on the ground."
Now seven, Ben's Cat had to recover from a broken pelvis before he made his maiden debut at age four in 2010, then began his career with eight consecutive victories. He has three graded stakes victories on his resume, all on the grass, and is five-for-six on the Laurel turf with his only loss coming in the 2012 Laurel Dash.
"He has been a dream horse, something that comes around just once in a lifetime," Leatherbury said.
risnet
Owner-trainer King Leatherbury has decided to run Ben's Cat in the $100,000 Laurel Dash in Saturday's Fall Festival of Racing card at Laurel instead of the headline race on the 11-race card, the $350,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash. Leatherbury cross-entered his star pupil into both race when entries were taken Wednesday afternoon. He made his decision after handicapping the two races.
"Turf it is," Leatherbury said Friday afternoon. "It is too easy a spot."
Maryland Jockey Club handicapper Keith Feustle has established the Leatherbury homebred as the 4-5 favorite in the six-furlong turf test, a race he won two years ago. The son of Parker's Storm Cat, who became Leatherbury's first millionaire last year, has won 22 of 34 starts with 17 stakes scores for earnings of $1,635,640. He has 14 victories in 22 turf starts.
In the De Francis Dash, a six-furlong race on the main track, Ben's Cat was the 9-2 second choice in the morning line behind Sage Valley (9-5).
"There are two or three horses in the De Francis that could beat me," added Leatherbury, who ranks fifth on the all-time win list with 6,400 career victories. "Of course, I could beat them, too. If I had to run there, I would but the other race would be like turning money down that you found on the ground."
Now seven, Ben's Cat had to recover from a broken pelvis before he made his maiden debut at age four in 2010, then began his career with eight consecutive victories. He has three graded stakes victories on his resume, all on the grass, and is five-for-six on the Laurel turf with his only loss coming in the 2012 Laurel Dash.
"He has been a dream horse, something that comes around just once in a lifetime," Leatherbury said.
risnet