The 12 previous runnings of the GIII With Anticipation S. had been won by just six trainers. But it was not a conditioner named Pletcher or Brown or Clement, but rather new trainer Jonathan Thomas who got his picture taken following Catholic Boy (More Than Ready)'s victory on the first day of the final week of racing at Saratoga for 2017.
Thomas is now the farm trainer for John and Leslie Malone's Bridlewood Farm, but learned some of the tricks of his trade while serving as an assistant to Pletcher, Dale Romans and Clement, as chronicled in a piece in Wednesday's TDN by Brian DiDonato.
Thomas had sent out nearly one winner from every four starters to date, but Wednesday in his biggest moment on one of racing's larger stages, he earned the first of what is likely many graded victories of his career.
Wednesday, Saratoga
WITH ANTICIPATION S.-GIII, $150,000, SAR, 8-30, 2yo,
1 1/16mT, 1:40.94, fm.
1–#@CATHOLIC BOY, 120, c, 2, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Song of Bernadette, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Winner's Edge, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Lucky Us, by Nijinsky II
($170,000 RNA Ylg '16 KEEJAN). O-Robert V. LaPenta; B-Fred
W. Hertrich lll & John D. Fielding (KY); T-Jonathan Thomas;
J-Manuel Franco. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $114,000.
Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″][bullet ad=”taylor-made-keesep-hip-2656″]2–Irish Territory (Ire), 116, c, 2, Declaration of War–Sleeping Beauty (Ire), by Oasis Dream (GB). (€475,000 Ylg '16 GOFORB). O-Zayat Stables, LLC; B-Springbank Way Stud (IRE);
T-William I. Mott. $30,000.[bullet ad=”casse-irish-territory”][bullet ad=”mckathan-brothers-training-grad”]3–Untamed Domain, 120, c, 2, Animal Kingdom–Ciao, by Lear
Fan. 'TDN Rising Star' ($90,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP). O-West Point
Thoroughbreds; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-H. Graham Motion.
$15,000.
Margins: 1, 3/4, HF. Odds: 12.20, 6.90, 4.40.
Also Ran: Seabhac, Earth, Morrison, Evaluator, Trumpi, Nauti Buoy, Machtree, Fort Wise Treaty. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Backed from 15-1 into 12-1 at the off, Catholic Boy was a bit slow to begin, but took advantage of his low draw to creep up into about fifth position, three back on the rail, as Earth (Orb) galloped them along in advance of Trumpi (Majestic Warrior) through decent fractions. Maintaining his position down the backstretch, Catholic Boy was patiently handled by Manny Franco and clipped the hedge rounding the turn and appeared ready to roll in upper stretch. The bay ducked out sharply at about the three-sixteenths marker while looking for a way off the inside, but fortunately there was no company there, and Catholic Boy surged through a gap and onto victory. Irish Territory, crushed into 6-1 from a morning line of 15-1 off a tough-trip seventh in his Aug. 5 debut, took off around horses on the turn and led into the final furlong, but ran out of steam late and settled for second. 'TDN Rising Star' Untamed Domain was very slow to begin and raced well back early. He uncorked a strong rally leaving the three-eighths and stayed on well to be third. The second and third covered 50 and 56 feet more than the winner, respectively, per Trakus data.
Catholic Boy was making the trip north off a modestly rated debut victory over 7 ½ furlongs of the Gulfstream turf course July 20, but Thomas was confident that the extra 220 yards of the With Anticipation would suit his charge.
“He's screaming for distance,” Thomas said. “We had the seven-furlong race at Kentucky Downs [Kentucky Downs Juvenile] and the mile race at Del Mar [Del Mar Juvenile Turf], but with [owner] Mr. LaPenta being a New Yorker, and this is my second home, being able to come up here and get the trip-of-ground we needed was important. I'm impressed with him knowing he didn't get the cleanest trip and he negotiated some pockets and holes and overcame it.”
Pedigree Notes:
Catholic Boy is the 175th worldwide black-type winner and 79th graded winner for his successful dual-hemisphere sire, who recently arrived at his Australian base at Vinery. The win also gave Bernardini his second graded of the meet as a broodmare sire (Hunter O'Riley, GII Bowling Green S.) and fourth of his career. The winner's dam, a daughter of GSP Winner's Edge and a half-sister to turf SW Return to Paradise (El Prado {Ire}), was purchased for $140,000 in foal to Bodemeister at the 2013 Keeneland November sale. Song of Bernadette is the dam of a yearling colt by Super Saver who sells as hip 2656 through Taylor Made at the upcoming Keeneland September sale. The mare's weanling Carpe Diem filly is headed to the Keeneland November sale, according to a tweet from co-breeder Fred Hertrich's Watercress Farm. Song of Bernadette was most recently bred to 2016 GI Preakness S. winner Exaggerator (Curlin).
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