Ben's Cat Fires Friday Bullet at Laurel Park

Prepping for his 10-year-old debut, multiple Grade 3 winner Ben’s Cat breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 Friday morning over Laurel’s main track, the fastest of seven horses at the distance.

 

Bred, owned and trained by Hall of Famer King Leatherbury, Ben’s Cat is being pointed to the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint May 20 at Pimlico Race Course. Leatherbury is hoping to get a prep into the multi-millionaire gelding before then.

 

Ben’s Cat has 30 wins, 25 of them in stakes, and nearly $2.5 million from 53 lifetime starts, 41 of them under regular rider Julian Pimentel including 30 in a row dating back to June 17, 2012.

 

Classic Wildcat, another 10-year-old gelding owned and trained by Leatherbury, earned his 21st victory from 72 lifetime starts in Friday’s third race, an $18,000 claiming event going 5 ½ furlongs on the grass.

 

Note:  Shaken up after being unseated during the last live program on Sunday, jockeys Victor Carrasco and Trevor McCarthy returned to sweep the early daily double Friday. Carrasco captured the first race with Mountain Hero ($4.80) while McCarthy was first with Justlookatmenow ($11.60) in the second.