Henry S. Clark Stakes Marks Laurel Debut for Cage Fighter
Henry S. Clark Stakes Marks Laurel Debut for Cage Fighter
Pair of Grade 3 Winners Represent Motion in Clark
Pimentel Hoping to Return to Riding on Final Weekend
Ben’s Cat Continues Progress for Seasonal Debut
Carryovers Highlight Return to Live Racing Friday
LAUREL, MD – Matthew Schera’s Cage Fighter will make Laurel Park his 11th different track from 18 lifetime starts when he goes to the gate in Saturday’s $75,000 Henry S. Clark Stakes.
The one-mile Clark for 3-year-olds and up on the Kelso Turf Course attracted a competitive field of 11 older horses including 6-year-old Cage Fighter, unraced since finishing last of 12 at odds of 150-1 in the 1 ½-mile Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
“He’s done well. We did a little work on him and this will be his first race back since the Breeders’ Cup. We realized in the Breeders’ Cup that he’s probably not looking to go over a mile and a quarter. I think he’s better suited for a mile to a mile and an eighth,” Fair Hill-based trainer James ‘Chuck’ Lawrence II said. “He’s been around but he likes it here. In turf races, it all comes down to the trip.”
The Breeders’ Cup was the only time Cage Fighter finished worse than fourth from seven 2015 starts that included two wins, two seconds, a third and $270,650 in purse earnings. He opened with a second-level allowance win last April at Pimlico Race Course and also captured the PTHA President’s Cup Stakes in September at Parx.
Cage Fighter was beaten a nose in the Knickerbocker (G3) at Belmont Park prior to the Breeders’ Cup and was second in the Dixie (G2) at Pimlico in May. He also ran well when finishing third in the Oceanport (G3) and fourth in the Monmouth Stakes (G2) last summer at Monmouth Park.
“We’re looking for him to run well. He doesn’t necessarily have to win first time out but we look for him to run well,” Lawrence said. “We’re pointing for the Dixie; that’s the big thing for us. We’ve got high hopes and we’re using this race as a stepping-stone to get there. That’s the plan, anyway. You know this horse business, hopefully the plan works.”
Claimed for $40,000 off a runner-up effort in August 2014 at Saratoga Race Course, Cage Fighter did not race again until debuting for his new connections last April. He’s had four works over Fair Hill’s all-weather track since mid-March.
“He’s been doing everything we hoped for and more,” Lawrence said. “He’s got a really cool personality for a big colt. The kids love him. He’s just as docile as he can be as long as there’s not a filly around. He’s a really cool individual. He puts everything he’s got into training and racing, which you have to be a little careful with him because he’ll do too much. What a lovely individual. He’s good-looking and he gives you 110 percent every day. It’s a pleasure to train him, I can tell you that.”
Pair of Grade 3 Winners Represent Motion in Clark
Fair Hill-based trainer Graham Motion will return Grade 3 winners Golden Sabre and Edge of Reality to stakes company in the Clark.
Sam-Son Farm homebred Golden Sabre, a 6-year-old Medaglia d’Oro gelding, made his 2016 debut finishing last of eight in an optional claiming allowance March 11 at Tampa Bay Downs, his first start in four months. The winner of that race, Special Envoy, is entered in the Clark.
The Clark will be Golden Sabre’s first start since being transferred to Motion, who has given him two breezes over Fair Hill’s all-weather surface including five furlongs in 1:00.20 April 16. Sam-Son Farm manager Tom Zweisler was the trainer of record in Tampa.
“He ran off the farm. After that, Tom spoke to me about taking him over and he came up to Fair Hill and we took over his training up here,” Motion said. “He’s had two nice works. He seemed in good shape when he came to me. Really kind of what I’ve done with him have sort of been just maintenance works. This race just seemed like a good fit on the calendar with him and being a local race on a good turf course.”
Golden Sabre raced for trainer Malcom Pierce in his native Canada where he won two of seven starts between August 2014 and November 2015, including the Durham Cup Stakes (G3) last October over Woodbine’s synthetic surface and was second in the Sky Classic (G2) and Nijinsky (G2), both on turf.
“He certainly has some back class. Having had a race under his belt I hope he’ll be very competitive,” Motion said. “I know they think a lot of him. I just don’t really know the horse that well yet. I haven’t had him very long but I know he’s got a great reputation at Sam-Son and they think highly of him.”
Motion also supplemented The Elkstone Group’s homebred Edge of Reality to the Clark. Third in his 6-year-old debut, a March 19 allowance at Parx, the gelded son of Grade 1 winner Lawyer Ron is a four-time stakes winner, the biggest coming in the 2013 Smarty Jones (G3).
Edge of Reality made his lone appearance at Laurel Park in September 2013, finishing fourth for previous trainer Tony Dutrow in the City of Laurel Stakes. In his most recent stakes appearance, he was eighth in the West Virginia Governor’s Stakes last August.
Jockey Pimentel Hoping to Return to Riding on Final Weekend
Still recovering from a broken foot, cracked in two places when stepped on by a horse six weeks ago, jockey Julian Pimentel is hoping to return to riding on Laurel Park’s closing weekend, May 6-8.
Pimentel’s agent, Ronnie Gerardo, said the 35-year-old native of Columbia visited orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Tang on Monday and no longer has to wear a protective boot on his foot.
“The doctor said the injury is 90 percent healed but it’s not 100 percent yet. He told him it’ll probably be about two weeks. He has started doing exercises and therapy for his foot and he can start putting pressure on it,” Gerardo said. “It’s not going to do any more damage or re-break. He has to try to walk normal and put pressure on it. It’s going to swell up because for about four weeks he hadn’t done anything with it. The swelling is going to go up and down and it will be painful, but it’s up to him how much pain he can take.”
Pimentel finished off the board with I’m In on April 15 in his first mount off the layoff, but took off his other named mounts last weekend. He is the regular rider for Maryland-bred multi-millionaire Ben’s Cat, who is due to make his 10-year-old debut soon.
“He should be ready to go in about two weeks or so,” Gerardo said. “Probably next week he’s going to start exercising horses, maybe one or two a day, and by the following weekend hopefully he can start riding again.”
Ben’s Cat Continues Progress for Seasonal Debut
Multiple Grade 3-winning Maryland-bred Ben’s Cat could be one work away from making his 10-year-old debut, Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury said.
Leatherbury bred, owns and trains multi-millionaire Ben’s Cat, who had his second straight five-furlong breeze April 16 at Laurel. He was timed in 1:02, eighth-fastest of 23 horses.
“It was good. It wasn’t anything to brag on, but there wasn’t anything wrong,” Leatherbury said. “He probably needs another good work, so we’ll see what happens.”
Leatherbury is hoping to get a start in Ben’s Cat prior to the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint May 20 at Pimlico. Ben’s Cat has won the McKay three straight years and four of the last five.
“He’s coming around. He’ll work again this coming weekend and then we’ll be trying to get a little prep in before the Jim McKay,” he said. “We’re working on that.”
Ben’s Cat is unraced since finishing seventh in the Fabulous Strike Handicap last November at Parx. He owns 30 wins, 25 of them in stakes, and nearly $2.5 million in purse earnings from 53 career starts.
Depending on if and when Leatherbury finds a spot for Ben’s Cat prior to the McKay, he may have a new partner. Regular rider Julian Pimentel, recovering from a broken foot, is not expected to return to the races until the final weekend of Laurel’s meet, May 6-8. Pimentel has been aboard Ben’s Cat in 41 of his 53 starts including 30 in a row dating back to June 17, 2012.
Carryovers Highlight Return to Live Racing Friday
There will be carryovers in both the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and 50-cent Late Pick 5 greeting bettors when live racing resumes with a 10-race program Friday at Laurel Park.
First race post time is 1:10 p.m.
The Rainbow 6, spanning Races 5-10, will have a carryover of $3,165.89, while the carryover in the Late Pick 5, covering Races 6-10, stands at $3,173.40. The Late Pick 5 offers an industry-low 12 percent takeout.
Both of the popular multi-race wagers include Friday’s co-features, a $42,000 allowance for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track in Race 8, and a $42,000 allowance for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on the Kelso Turf Course in Race 9.
