Ben's Cat Eyes 16th Stakes Win in Jim McKay Turf Sprint
For
the third straight year, the popular Ben's Cat will run in the Jim
McKay Turf Sprint Stakes on the Black-Eyed Susan Day card for venerable
owner-trainer King Leatherbury.
Ben's Cat, Leatherbury's first
to topple the $1 million mark in earnings during his storied career, won
the race in 2011 but was upset last year, finishing fifth.
"Every 80 years, a man gets this kind of horse," Leatherbury half-joked. "He's never been better."
The 77-year-old ranks fifth on the all-time win list with 6,381 career victories.
The
oddity is that Ben's Cat will be competing against another Leatherbury
trainee, Ken's Cape, who has different ownership (Double K Stable) and a
conquest of Ben's Cat in an allowance race in April of 2012.
"May
the best horse win is all I can say," said Leatherbury. "You run
against yourself, but you've got a backup in case something happens."
Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan 13-race card drew 156 entries. The card includes eight stakes races, the
Xpressbet Battle Of The Sexes Jockey Challenge featuring four top
female riders against four of the best male jockeys and the Lady Legends
for the Cure IV, presented by Wells Fargo. A pari-mutuel event with
eight retired female riding pioneers, the race is run as part of joint
effort between Pimlico and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s
largest breast cancer organization.