McPeek sees upside as 3-year-old Cairo Cat nears return

Trainer Kenny McPeek hasn’t set a return race for last year’s Iroquois Stakes (G3) winner Cairo Cat, but the colt has submitted a trio of works that have the conditioner contemplating stakes races.

A son of Cairo Prince, the Walking L Thoroughbreds charge breezed a half mile in 48.20 seconds Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs, where his time ranked third-fastest of 38 at the distance.

“I think he’s grown into a man from 2 to 3,” McPeek said, “and I think there’s still quite a bit of upside with him. It’s all timing, but we’re optimistic that he’s going to have a good year.”

Cairo Cat hasn’t raced since Sept. 15 when taking the 1 1/16-mile Iroquois, the first points-paying race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. He edged past Tight Ten for a half-length score at Churchill, at the time looking like a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

A “small knee issue” arose before Cairo Cat’s next scheduled start.

“It was the end of his 2-year-old year, and we felt like he needed time,” McPeek said. “We stopped on it, addressed it and have been trying to give him plenty of time for it to be 100%.”

With Wednesday’s drill the third timed work back for Cairo Cat, McPeek mentioned three possibilities he’s weighing.

• Saratoga’s July 27 Jim Dandy (G2) may be too stiff a test for the comeback, but he’d like Cairo Cat at the Travers Stakes (G1) distance of 10 furlongs the next month.

• After a second look at the condition book, it appears Cairo Cat is eligible for Saratoga's Curlin Stakes going a mile and an eighth a day before the Jim Dandy.

• The Ellis Park Derby runs Aug. 11, but given it goes at a mile, that “didn’t thrill me,” McPeek said. The longer the better.

• In between those spots on the calendar, the Aug. 3 West Virginia Derby (G3) at a mile and an eighth might serve as the right spot.

“He’s got a two-other-than condition,” McPeek said, “but he’d have to run against older horses, so we’re trying to figure out whether that’s prudent.”

Cairo Cat is 2-for-3 in his career, running eighth on debut last July at Saratoga before returning for a narrow win on Aug. 11 going seven furlongs. He appreciated a stretch to two turns in the Iroquois, tipping off the rail in deep stretch with a winning move.