The stakes festivities kicked off in the fourth with the CTHS Sales Stake for two-year-old colts and geldings. Fear of the Cat ($3.50) won it as the heavy favorite over the closing We Found Gold who finished a length back in second. Timber King did some closing of his own to be third. The 6 ½ furlongs went in 1:18.11.
Fear of the Cat broke out very slightly at the start but soon found the rail and the lead and defended both with every ounce of his being every step of the way. Silent Native hounded him for much of the trip and when he shook that one off at the head of the lane, there was We Found Gold trying to make a move from along the rail. The winner, with Richard Hamel aboard, never left enough room for We Found Gold to drive up inside him. That cost the runner-up some momentum and, along with the fact that Fear of the Cat got the last sixteenth in less than seven seconds and was not stopping, was all Fear of the Cat needed to lock it up. A claim of foul lodged by the rider of We Found Gold against the winner was given short shrift.
Both We Found Gold and Timber King put in impressive sustained drives to get pieces. We Found Gold has had something go less than perfect in all his starts. Timber King, a half-brother to Longacres Mile winner Herbie D, came from far back and wide in this, his first lifetime start. Neither should be a maiden much longer. However, this race was about Fear of the Cat who simply imposed his will on the race and, despite their very genuine efforts, none of the other competitors could do anything about it.
Fear of the Cat was bred in British Columbia by Rob MacDonald. He used his own stallion, Abraaj, and his Tale of the Cat mare Imaflashycat to produce the winner who he sold to
Stuart Carmichael and David Gregory in the 2014 CTHS Sale for $7,500. They continue to own, along with May Carmichael and Sylvea Gregory who is also the trainer. This is the same connection configuration as that of Quatre Cat, another Rob MacDonald bred stakes winner by Abraaj that coincidentally (or not) went to the same group for the same price a year previous.
Princess Katie: Immediate Royalty
It did not take long for Princess Katie ($30.30) to break her maiden. In fact, after the starting gate opened, it took her only another 1:18.87 to go from first time starter to stakes winner as she took the CTHS Sales Stake for two-year-old fillies. Miss Finality ran second after doing a lot of hard work contesting the pace and Cyclone Cindy ran evenly to be third in the 6 ½ furlong sprint.
Hippie went to the lead quickly with Miss Finality in hot pursuit. Holly Hollywood was outside those two around the first turn. Princess Katie was outside her and she was really in the five-path because Hippie was a full lane off the rail. Horses do not win from there at Hastings and that is triple-true for first-time starting maidens in stakes races. Does not happen.
It did happen. Princess Katie appeared to haul jockey Amadeo Perez to the front mid-way around the last turn after an outside move going down the backstretch. By the time they straightened out for the drive the only remaining question was by how far, the answer being 4 ½ lengths. Princess Katie finished off the performance by galloping out strongly and well in front of the eight fillies that still could not catch her. Time will tell how good Princess Katie is, but today’s win was outstanding for the way she did it and what she overcame to get it done.
She was bred in British Columbia by Prescott Farms who sold the daughter of Finality and the Perfect Mandate mare Two to Get Ready in the 2014 CTHS Sale for $3,000. Ernie Chu bought and races her and Rob Gilker trains.
Mighty Fraser On The Rise
Mighty Fraser ($12.40) completed his ascension from the lower claiming ranks to stakes winner when he took the CTHS Sales Stake for three-year-old colts and geldings, covering the mile-and-sixteenth in 1:44.65. Torniador ran second at 22-1 and Peace Arch was another half-length back in third.
Rider David Lopez had Mighty Fraser well off the rapid and pressured early fractions (23.32 and 46.28) set by Lord Rosberg. The second quarter went in less than 23 seconds and it took its toll on the come backing Lord Rosberg (Champion Two-Year-Old and BC Bred Horse of the Year in 2013). He was done for the day after three-quarters in 1:11.78. Torniador took over at that point, but his time in front proved to be limited.
When he squared up for the run down the backstretch Mighty Fraser began a measured but relentless move that would get him to the front on the last turn and safely home by almost two lengths over Torniador who remains a maiden, albeit a good one. Peace Arch moved with the winner, just not quite as well.
Prescott Farms bred Mighty Fraser in British Columbia. He is a gelded son of Second in Command and is out of She’s Fantastic who has now produced 5 winners from 5 starters. The winner sold in the 2013 CTHS Sale for $9,000. He was claimed in his last start and is currently owned by North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, R. Morrison and P. Tom. Troy Taylor trains.
Not that long ago, Mighty Fraser was running for 8K at Turf Paradise. This was his third win in six starts at Hastings in 2015. His previous stakes and only route try prior to today found him mid-pack in the Chris Loseth.
Sailingforthesun
The CTHS Sales Stake for three-year-old fillies at a mile-and-a-sixteenth was won by Sailingforthesun ($9.60) who did so by getting involved in a speed duel on the front end, running suicidal fractions, and refusing to die. The heavy favorite, Quatre Cat, finished second and Bold N Lovely took the show. The winner ran the route in 1:45.73.
Sailingforthesun and Finality’s Charmer paired up soon after the break and whipped through a first quarter in 22.78 and a half in 46.11. Finality’s Charmer booked out a little ways after the half-mile and the battle was joined by Quatre Cat. She had been last early but moved up quickly into the fast pace and launched a move that got her a head in front after 6 furlongs in 1:11.23. But Sailingforthesun proved to be a long way from done.
When Quatre Cat moved to Sailingforthesun jockey Jeff Burningham started to do some asking and the winner did some responding. She moved back into the lead as they navigated the last turn locked in combat, at first edging slowly away from Quatre Cat as they came home, then more definitively as they approached the wire. In the end Sailingforthesun was more than two lengths clear of Quatre Cat who had at least three lengths on third place finisher Bold N Lovely.
Sailingforthesun was full value in defeating Quatre Cat who went off as the heavy 4-5 favorite. The early fractions would have finished off the overwhelming majority of horses that set them and it bodes well for Sailingforthesun to run that fast and turn back the challenge from the multiple stakes winner. It was Sailingforthesun’s first stakes win after finishing second in her two previous stakes attempts.
Sailingforthesun is a British Columbia bred daughter of Sungold, a son of A.P. Indy, and is out of the No Louder mare, Sailpast. Sailingforthesun is a half-sister to both the six-time stakes winner Slewpast and stakes winner Gosailgo. Her owners, the Foundation Racing Stables, bred her. Robert Anderson trains.
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