Ben's Cat repeats in Fabulous Strike for 19th career stakes win

Ben's Cat repeats in Fabulous Strike for 19th career stakes

win

The victory improved Ben's Cat's scorecard to 37-24-4-3, $1,862,640. He

completed the six furlongs on the good main track in 1:09 3/5.

"It was a very exciting race," Leatherbury said. "We were hoping some other

horse would have some speed to soften up the favorite (Ribo Bobo), who was

obviously the horse to beat. That didn't really happen, but my horse always

closes and finishes well so I wasn't really worried because I thought we were

close enough to the leader coming into the stretch.

"As long as everything goes OK, he will be back next year for the Mister Diz

in the spring at Pimlico to try and win that race five years in a row," his

breeder/owner/trainer added.

Aside from winning the Mister Diz for the last four years, and the past two

Fabulous Strikes, the Maryland-bred Ben's Cat is also the reigning two-time

champion of the Parx Dash, and he scored a three-peat in the Maryland Million

Turf Sprint from 2010-12. He is also a two-time winner of the Turf Monster

Handicap (2011-12), Jim McKay Turf Sprint (2011, 2013) and the Laurel Dash

(2011, 2013), and his resume includes single trophies in the 2011 Pennsylvania

Governor's Cup and the 2010 Find Handicap.

Earlier, Pimentel guided the 3-1 Five Star Momma to a front-running decision

in the $150,000

Lady in Waiting. Trained by Jena Antonucci for Summerwind Farms and Half

Hollow Racing, the four-year-old daughter of Five Star Day opened up early and

gamely repelled 9-5 favorite She's Ordained by a neck.

"Jena told me to put her on the front and improve my position, so I did

that," Pimentel recapped. "She came out of the gate pretty fast and when she saw

(She's Ordained) come up on the outside of her in the stretch, she kept on

digging."

Five Star Momma negotiated six furlongs in 1:11 3/5 to extend her winning

streak to three, boosting her earnings to $326,713 from her 16-5-3-2 line.

Runner-up in the 2011 Debutante at Churchill, she was third in the August 5

Shine Again at Saratoga before peaking this fall. Five Star Momma crushed a

September 26 allowance at Belmont, and collected her first stakes win in the

November 6 Chip at Aqueduct, in her last pair.

One race later, Clovertowne Farm's homebred Taptowne romped as an even-money

favorite should in the $150,000

Swatara

at 1 1/16 miles. His task was eased by the scratches of Cigar Mile-bound

Saratoga Snacks and Hawthorne Gold Cup entrant Suns Out Guns Out.

Well recovered from the ill-timed foot bruise that knocked him out of the

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Taptowne chased the pace three wide before putting his

head in front at the six-furlong mark. The Tapit gelding drew off from there for

Brian Hernandez Jr., crossing the wire 5 1/4 lengths clear in a final time of

1:44.

"He was a little closer to the lead than we would have liked him," trainer

Tim Glyshaw said, "but it's to be expected since he was a pretty fresh horse

coming into the race and there wasn't much pace in the race. He could have gone

to the lead if he wanted to but he doesn't run his best like that so I thought

Brian gave him a great ride.

"We were in the Breeders' Cup (Dirt) Mile and got vet scratched because of a

bruised hoof. He was supposed to get a month off after that and get ready for

Oaklawn, but the owners and I decided to come and give him something positive to

go get his rest on, and this does that."

Taptowne has compiled a mark of 29-7-7-3, $637,799, reflecting three stakes

wins and six stakes placings. His biggest highlights have come this campaign,

with a victory in the August 3 West Virginia Governor's Stakes and runner-up

efforts in such major events as the Oaklawn, Prairie Meadows Cornhusker and Ack

Ack Handicaps.

The Tony Dutrow-trained Gracer opened the lucrative card with a 3 3/4-length

wire job in the $75,500

Blue

Mountain Juvenile Fillies for Pennsylvania-breds. Adding blinkers in the

wake of her third in the September 29 Matron at Belmont, the 4-5 shot was firmly

in control throughout the six-furlong dash. Joe Rocco Jr. was at the helm as she

stopped the teletimer in 1:11.

"That was what I expected," Dutrow said. "It looked like she was the speed of

the race. She had been running with better horses, so I was expecting a

performance like that.

"I was thinking on the ride up here that I was just going to give her the

month of December off and figure out what we should do with her from there. She

is now a stakes winner and is graded-stakes placed and it would be fantastic if

she could become a graded stakes winner and that's what I would be looking for."

Gracer, who was second to Miss Behaviour in their mutual debut at Parx July

22, came right back to dominate a Saratoga maiden by 6 1/4 lengths. She was

beaten a total of 2 3/4 lengths by Miss Behaviour when third in the Matron, and

her breakthrough advanced her record to 4-2-1-1, $122,000.

Despite having to cancel the card after seven races due to increasingly

strong winds, all-sources handle on the Penn National card was $1,632,837,

eclipsing last year's Thanksgiving Eve handle of $1,549,406 on nine races.

"It was a tremendous night of racing at Penn National highlighted by a

thrilling victory from one of the most accomplished horses in the country, Ben's

Cat, and his trainer King Leatherbury, who is one of the true legends of

Thoroughbred racing," said Dan Silver, director of racing operations at Penn

National.

"The night was possible due to incredible work by Jake Leitzel, our manager

of racetrack maintenance, and his entire team in getting the track in such

terrific shape. Additionally, Dave Bailey, our racing secretary; Craig Lytel,

our stakes coordinator; Jenny Bowman, our assistant racing secretary, and the

entire racing office did a great job of putting together an excellent card.

Thanks also to the horsemen for their strong support of the evening."

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