Barn Tour: Catalano gives updates on Aloha West and more
- Brad Cox (1/11)
- Gerald Bennett (1/7)
- Mark Glatt (1/6)
- J.R. Caldwell (1/5)
- Peter Eurton (12/30)
- Kenny McPeek (12/29)
- Shane Wilson (12/22)
- Rob Atras (12/21)
Wayne Catalano capped off his year in 2021 the right way, winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Aloha West. The trainer finished the season with 43 victories and over $2.9 million in earnings.
Catalano, who is spending his winter at Fair Grounds, updated Horse Racing Nation on some of his top talent, as he continued his quest to hit 3,000 victories. He currently stands at 2,938 .
“We’re a little light on horses, but we’re going to hustle up some horses and try to knock it out,” Catalano said.
Following the Breeders’ Cup Sprint win, the newly minted 5-year-old took some time off. Catalano said he is doing well and will be back in training soon.
“He’s doing great,” Catalano said. “We’re just freshening him up there, giving him a couple of months freshening and he’ll be back in training.”
The trainer said he did not have a return spot picked out yet for Aloha West, who will be back in training in the next two or three weeks according to Catalano’s estimation.
Winner of the Duncan F. Kenner in January at Fair Grounds, Manny Wah ran second in the Richard R. Scherer Memorial Stakes on Dec. 26. He put in a four-furlong work last Wednesday at Fair Grounds.
Catalano said he will be making his return to the races soon, possibly at Oaklawn.
“I don’t think we’re going to run him this weekend, we’ll probably run the following weekend,’ Catalano said. “... I’m learning towards Hot Springs for his next start.”
Last time out, the 3-year-old Include colt finished third in the Sugar Bowl at Fair Grounds going six furlongs. He won at that distance once in November at Churchill Downs, and got two victories at 5 1/2 furlongs.
For his next race, Catalano said he will try stretching Blue Kentucky out, with a likely start in the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte (G3), a Kentucky Derby points race.
“We’re going to try him,” Catalano said. “I guess it’s a good time to try him. We’re here, we got a race over the track. It’s a short wire, I think we’re going to give it a crack.”
In his most recent start at Fair Grounds, the Declaration of War horse finished fifth in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Catalano said he will likely make a surface change for a race next week at Fair Grounds.
“I think that soft turf, he just didn’t like it,” Catalano said. “He stuck down on the inside, it was the worst place to be that day.”
Following a win in a Turfway Park allowance race on Dec. 16, the Tapit mare has been retired.
“She went home after that race,” Catalano said. “They wanted to send her home and I just asked to let me run her one time on the way to Kentucky, she was doing so good.”