LAUREL, MD. 01-30-13--- Twenty days after getting his 15 minutes of fame by escaping from the Laurel Park backside and going on a 1.6 mile adventure, Bullet Catcher will make his Laurel debut in Thursday’s 8^th race, a $40,000 allowance test at 5-1/2 furlongs.

On Friday morning, Jan. 11, the son of Strong Hope tossed jockey Jeremy Rose while heading back to the barn after a workout and got loose. He made his way out of the stable gate, made a left on Whiskey Bottom Road and another left onto U.S. Route 1 before being caught, un-injured.

The trip included parts of Anne Arundel, Howard and Prince George’s Counties. Jockey Abel Castellano captured part of the journey on his mobile phone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK-s4URvR-4&feature=youtu.be, which garnered local and national media attention.

“I have never had a horse that hit the blacktop and didn’t fall down,” trainer Jerry Robb said. “What he went through is a miracle as far as I am concerned.”

Amazingly, Bullet Catcher ran eight days later, finishing second in an allowance race at Charles Town off a six-month layoff. The 4-year-old gelding is 1-for-7 lifetime with four in the money finishes.

“I wanted to give him some time to recover from that morning but he was so full of himself we had to train him three days later,” added Robb. “He ran pretty well off the layoff.”

Bullet Catcher is an 8-1 shot on the morning line in Thursday’s feature, the sixth choice in an 11-horse field.

“It is a tough race,” Robb said. “He has always shown a lot of promise but has had a lot of injuries. It seems every time we run him there is something, so I was shocked that he went through what he did three weeks ago and the road didn’t hurt him.”

J.D. Acosta has the riding assignment. Post time for the race will be 3:55 p.m. Eastern.
 

About Laurel Park

Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.