Weekend Takeaways: Catholic Boy strong at Classic distance

As a horse who is on his best game at 1 ¼-miles, Catholic Boy can make some real noise in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Even before the Travers, trainer Jonathan Thomas said the Classic distance suits him best right now. The 3-year-old colt has back-to-back Grade 1 wins at the distance – the Belmont Derby over turf and the Travers on dirt – and he has proven consistent this season.

The dirt proved no problem for him, as he sat off pacesetting Mendelssohn before blowing by to win by four lengths. Mendelssohn ran an impressive race in his own right, improving from third in the Grade 3 Dwyer and shipping back and forth from the United States to Europe.

Of course there is still Accelerate and Diversify to face in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, as well as others his age. But with a 3-year-old division in need of a solid leader, it seems a top candidate to take on older horses might have been kicking it on the turf course, waiting to prove himself on the dirt.

Promises Fulfilled a threat in the sprint division

Kentucky Derby contender Promises Fulfilled seems to have found his calling in the sprint division. The 3-year-old Shackleford colt has only run against those his age so far, but the way he has won his last two races suggests he could be a threat against the older horses should he be supplemented into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Going gate-to-wire in both the Grade 3 Amsterdam and Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens this summer, Promises Fulfilled showed speed up front and both times had plenty left in the stretch to put away his competitors.

The Grade 1 Forego, run later on the Travers undercard, was the same seven-furlong distance as the H. Allen Jerkens. The time of the races were very close, but Promises Fulfilled was able to cross the wire in 1:21.44, with Whitmore winning the Forego in 1:21.46. The Forego was full of accomplished older horses, also featuring multiple Grade 1 winner City of Light and multiple graded stakes winner Limousine Liberal. Even if he has not faced older horses yet, Promises Fulfilled showed he deserves the chance to run with them.

While the Breeders’ Cup Sprint is a furlong shorter than the H. Allen Jerkens, Promises Fulfilled ran 6 ½ furlongs in the Amsterdam and cutting back does not look like a problem for him.

Abel Tasman earns the top spot in the filly and mare division

Same racetrack. Same one-two finishers. Same inquiry. Even with the claim of foul, Abel Tasman can be considered the current leader of the older filly and mare division over Elate.

Already impressive at 3 winning the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, Abel Tasman has continued to shine this year. She drew away impressively in the Ogden Phipps and then beat a top filly in Elate in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign.

Whether the interference cost Elate or not can be argued, but with Abel Tasman taking the win it is hard to not place her at the top of the division. She even has an edge from the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, running second to Forever Unbridled while Elate ran a flat fourth.

The Personal Ensign lined up as the race that would put one filly on top of the other. Although it’d be nice to make the decision without interference, Abel Tasman earned the top spot the victory.

Time for Catalina Cruiser to face tougher competition

The undefeated Catalina Cruiser has gotten his short career off to a bang, and with a victory in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes, he earned himself an automatic berth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

While the 4-year-old by Union Rags has been nothing short of impressive, he’ll have to answer to tougher competition in the Breeders’ Cup. He faced only four other horses in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap and three others in the Pat O’Brien. He has been able to have comfortable trips and has not faced top stakes horses, as Grade 1 winners Roy H and Ransom the Moon both scratched Saturday. Battle of Midway, winner of the 2017 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, was entered, but it was his first start since last year's World Championships and proving subfertile at stud.

So far Catalina Cruiser looks like he could be the next big horse on the West Coast – connections are already considering the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup – but he will need to beat tougher competition before being considered as such.