Cat shows courage in Shoemaker Mile

Pam and Martin Wygod's homebred COURAGEOUS CAT (Storm Cat) staved off a

prolonged challenge from Caracortado (Cat Dreams) to take Saturday's $300,000

Shoemaker Mile S. (G1), handing jockey Pat Valenzuela his 100th career

stakes victory at Hollywood Park. The even-money choice fought valiantly to earn

the decision by a neck, blitzing the firm-turf mile in 1:33 to go two-for-two

this season.

Last time out, Courageous Cat returned from an eight-month layoff to capture

the June 10 Poker S. (G3) at Belmont Park as much the best. The 22-day

turnaround, coupled with cross-country travel, could have resulted in a

regression, but the Bill Mott trainee made light of that theory here.

Courageous Cat broke sharply from the rail, but when Liberian Freighter (Bertrando)

was intent on going forward on the outside, the favorite was happy to oblige.

Liberian Freighter proceeded to dictate fractions of :24, :47 1/5 and 1:10. All

the while, Valenzuela was creeping ever closer aboard Courageous Cat, now deftly

positioned on the outside. Caracortado, who also left the gate quickly, was

stalking in third, in a much better tactical spot than usual.

After ratcheting up the pressure on the leader, Courageous Cat gained a slim

lead at the top of the stretch. Liberian Freighter gave way, but the race was

far from over. Caracortado was poised right on Courageous Cat's flank, and gave

him all that he could handle inside the final furlong. Knuckling down,

Courageous Cat would not yield, and desperately clung to his advantage to the

end, paying $4, $2.60 and $2.20.

Defending Shoemaker champion Victor's Cry (Street Cry [Ire]), making his

first start back since finishing fifth in the March 26 Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1),

rallied from last for third. He could make no impression on the dueling pair,

though, and was beaten a shade more than 4 3/4 lengths. Next came Blue Chagall

(Fr) (Testa Rossa), Smokey Lonesome (Teton Forest) and Liberian Freighter, with

Chilean Group 1 winner Ashtar (Chi) (Merchant of Venice) scratched from his

intended U.S. debut.

Courageous Cat improved his record to 13-6-2-2, $961,300, reflecting five

stakes victories. After breaking his maiden in 2009, Courageous Cat jumped

straight to stakes company with victories in the A Gift S. and National Museum

of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2), garnering the latter in stakes-record time at

Saratoga. He finished a close third in the Jamaica H. (G1) before concluding his

three-year-old season with an excellent runner-up effort in the Breeders' Cup

Mile (G1) at Santa Anita, only a half-length adrift of superstar Goldikova (Ire)

(Anabaa).

The Kentucky-bred opened 2010 in encouraging fashion, winning the Canadian

Turf (G3) at Gulfstream Park, but recorded a disappointing ninth when shipping

overseas for the Dubai Duty Free next time out. Courageous Cat didn't make it

back to the races until the October 9 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1), where he checked

in third to two-time turf champ Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat), and was sidelined

again until the Poker.

Courageous Cat is out of the multiple Grade 1-winning turf mare Tranquility

Lake (Rahy), who amassed more than $1.6 million in earnings in the course of her

four-year career and has become a successful broodmare. The winner's full

brother, After Market, won the Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1), Eddie Read

H. (G1), Del Mar H. (G2) and Inglewood H. (G3) in 2007, and earned $903,685 from

a 13-8-1-0 line. After Market was recently represented by his first winner at

stud. Tranquility Lake is also the dam of Dubai Group 2 scorer Jalil, another

brother to After Market and Courageous Cat, and an unraced two-year-old colt

named Vantage Point (A.P. Indy).

Tranquility Lake is a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 victor and sire

Benchmark (Alydar) and hails from the family of 1983 Belmont S. (G1) star Caveat

(Cannonade).