Zito Steals 'Crown Jewel' With Catholic Cowboy
{{monthName}} {{day}}, {{year}} {{hour12}}:{{minuteTwoDigit}}{{dayPeriod}}
Nick Zito is best known to Gulfstream Park fans as a trainer of Kentucky Derby winners, but the Hall of Fame trainer was the King of the Claimers Saturday for the second year in a row.
Zito saddled Catholic Cowboy for a 17-1 upset victory in the $200,000 Jewel, the grand finale of Saturday’s eight-stakes $1 million Claiming Crown on Opening Day of the 2014-2015 Championship Meet. Last year, the Brooklyn native visited the winner’s circle with Nevada Kid after his victory in the Jewel, a 1 1/8-mile stakes for horses that started for a claiming price of $35,000 or less since Jan. 1, 2013.
“What I need to do is try to win another Kentucky Derby,” said Zito, who trained Kentucky Derby winners Strike the Gold (1991) and Go for Gin (1994). “But at the end of the day, if this is what the Good Lord wants, and I can win these things every year, it’s not so bad.”
Catholic Cowboy’s victory brought down the curtain of yet another highly successful Claiming Crown renewal at Gulfstream Park. The on-track handle for Saturday’s 10-race program soared 36 percent from last year’s figures, while the all-sources handle got a 13-percent boost. A total of $10.060 million was wagered on the card, up from $8.8 million.
Catholic Cowboy settled in the first cluster of horses a few lengths off the loose-on-the-lead pacesetter, Cerro, around the first turn and along the backstretch. Jockey Luis Saez asked his mount to pick up the pace leaving the backstretch and on the far turn, and he advanced steadily as Cerro showed the way into the stretch, chased by Kings Over and Cease. Cerro continued to show the way under Cecily Evans into mid-stretch, when Catholic Cowboy responded to the urgent handling of his jockey to loom a danger. As the pacesetter and his pursuers began to weaken, Catholic Cowboy took over on the outside and went on to victory by a half-length, holding off the late surge of Page McKenney, the 9-2 favorite in a field of 14.
“He’s brave, and when he’s brave he gets himself in good position. When we came to the three-eighths pole I saw somebody pass me from the outside and he looked like I was done. But when we turned in the stretch and I started riding him, he responded to me. He just took off. Last year we won the same race, so it feels good to win again. It’s great,” said Saez, who was aboard the 2013 Jewel winner, Nevada Kid, for Zito.
Catholic Cowboy, who earned $110,000 for owner Joseph Moss, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.70 to return $37.80 for a $2 win wager. Page McKenney finished second under Jose Lezcano, a neck in front of Cerro. Eriugena, Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s bid for a third Claiming Crown victory Saturday, closed from 14 to finish fourth.
Catholic Cowboy, a $12,000 yearling purchase, raced in a maiden race for $35,000 at Belmont Park in his ninth career start before breaking his maiden in a $50,000 claiming race at Gulfstream Park two starts later on Jan. 20. The son of Heatseeker never raced in another claiming race while racing competitively in allowance and starter allowance races. After back-to-back victories at Belmont and Saratoga during the summer, the Florida-bred 4-year-old turned in two mysteriously poor showings at Keeneland in October.
“He went a little funny on us. We didn’t understand why, so we did the next best thing and gelded him. That always helps, because the mind goes back to where it’s supposed to be,” Zito said. “He’s been fantastic now. He had some great works. Luis (Saez) wouldn’t give up, and that was the key.”
Catholic Cowboy provided his trainer with yet another happy moment at Gulfstream Park.
“Gulfstream is always good to us. We were talking today, my son Alex and I, about how Gulfstream’s been good to us the past decade, longer than that. It’s always been a good lucky track for us,” Zito said. “Our horse seemed to like it."
Three of the 14 horses in Saturday’s $125,000 Emerald at Gulfstream Park wore the red and white silks of Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who have won more Claiming Crown races than any owners in the event’s 16-year history.
They capped another outstanding afternoon when Saffron Hall ($13) came flying from mid-pack to out-finish a stubborn Rose Brier and win the 1 1/16-mile Emerald by three-quarters of a length.
The Emerald was the seventh of eight stakes worth $1 million on the Claiming Crown program, and the last of three on the turf, highlighting Opening Day of Gulfstream’s Championship Meet.
Ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Saffron Hall gave the Ramseys their second Claiming Crown victory of the day, following St. Borealis in the $125,000 Tiara. Both horses are trained by Mike Maker, who also leads the Claiming Crown with 14 lifetime wins.
“It’s kind of like eating popcorn. The more you eat, the more you want,” Ramsey said. “It’s the same way with winning. We’re kind of raising the bar pretty high; I don’t even know who’s in second place. Fourteen is a pretty good number.”
A gelded 7-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway, Saffron Hill settled back off an early pace of 23.26 seconds for the quarter-mile set by Lasso, who gave way to Cement Clement after a half-mile in 46.80 with another of Ramsey’s trio, Longhunter, right behind.
Cement Clement continued to lead after going six furlongs in 1:11.24, but it was Longhunter who was in front by a length at the top of the stretch. Meanwhile, Ortiz swung Saffron Hill to the far outside for a clear run at the leaders.
“I got a good trip,” Ortiz said. “I tried to slow him down early because the owner had three horses in the race. One of them has a lot of speed, so I didn’t want to be too close to him. I took him back a little bit and then he responded pretty good. He took off when I asked him.”
Saffron Hill circled the field and set his sights on Rose Brier, who had wrested a short lead from Longhunter. Saffron Hill edged away under Ortiz’s steady urging and hit the wire in 1:42.19 over the firm turf course.
Rose Brier stayed up for second, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Longhunter. Dreams Cut Short, the last of the Ramsey-Maker triumvirate, wound up 10th as the 7-5 favorite.
“I thought this one would win. He was my choice,” Ramsey said. “I thought between him and Longhunter, if they left Longhunter alone he could wire the field; otherwise, this one was going to come from behind and nail them. When I saw Longhunter was faltering a little bit, I said, ‘Where’s Saffron Hall?’ and here he came.”
Saffron Hall has now won three straight races and five of seven starts in 2014, all since joining Maker’s barn from previous trainer Ken Wirth, who claimed the horse for $25,000 last winter at Tampa Bay Downs. The $68,750 winner’s purse pushed his career earnings to $268,611 from 19 races.
“I have to give credit to Ken Wirth. He found this horse at Tampa Bay and said, ‘I think this will make you a nice horse,’” Ramsey said. “Then the horse got hurt a little bit, so we sent him back to the farm and then we sent him to Mike. It’s a great win.”
Source: Gulfstream Park Communications
The fall meets wind down but the graded stakes keep coming, with Churchill Downs hosting Saturday's Grade 3...
This week's Prospect Watch showcases young horses with elite bloodlines making their racing debuts and early career starts....
Nevada Beach returned to the work tab Monday, just nine days after finishing seventh in the Breeders' Cup...
Grand Slam Smile posted Sunday's highest Horse Racing Nation speed figure with a 142 at Del Mar in...
Sweet Azteca and Ag Bullet will return to racing in 2026 as 6-year-olds, trainer Richard Baltas told Daily...