Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Catapult to City of Hope Mile
Catapult, second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs last November, is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile on Oct. 5 at Santa Anita after being withdrawn from Thursday’s Old Friends Stakes at Kentucky Downs.
Catapult was never sent to Kentucky, trainer John Sadler said Friday. The $200,000 City of Hope Mile will be Catapult’s first start since a fifth in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on July 21 at Del Mar and is designed as a prep for the BC Mile on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.
Sadler, who led all trainers with nine stakes wins at the Del Mar summer meeting, will have a busy start to the Santa Anita autumn meeting, which begins Sept. 27.
Fawree, the seven-length winner of an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at a mile on Aug. 17, is a candidate for the Grade 2 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on Sept. 28. There is a possibility Higher Power, winner of the Pacific Classic on Aug. 17, could start in the $300,000 Awesome Again or be held out of the race in favor of the BC Classic on Nov. 2.
“I don’t know if I’ll have two or one” in the Awesome Again, Sadler said.
Catalina Cruiser, who won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes on Aug. 25, will have his next start in the BC Dirt Mile on Nov. 2, while Ollie’s Candy, who won the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes on July 28, will run in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 29.
In early October, the stable plans to run Cistron in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 5 and Encoder in the $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes at a mile on turf for 2-year-olds on Oct. 6. Encoder won the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 1 and is unbeaten in two starts.
Sadler said there are no immediate race plans for Inspiressa, who finished second, beaten 8 3/4 lengths by Bast, in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 31. She is not expected to start in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Sept. 27.
“I think she’s out of the route race,” Sadler said. “We’ll look around for a race for her.”
Bellafina possible for Cotillion
Bellafina, who was third in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 3 in her only start of the summer, is tentatively scheduled to return in the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Parx Racing on Sept. 21.
Trainer Simon Callaghan said the $1 million Cotillion Stakes at 1 1/16 miles is preferred over the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks at seven furlongs on the same day.
“The travel there is problematic,” he said of Charles Town. “It’s a flight and an extremely long van ride.”
The Cotillion Stakes has become one of the nation’s leading races for 3-year-old fillies in recent years and will be the first start around two turns for Bellafina since she finished fifth as the 9-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3. Owned by Kaleem Shah, Bellafina won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on April 6.
Amalfi Sunrise, the unbeaten winner of the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 3, remains hospitalized with a virus but has shown improvement in recent days, Callaghan said.
“She’s still in the clinic and her situation is becoming more stable,” he said. “There is a long road ahead of her.”
Amalfi Sunrise was hospitalized in late August. She will not race again this year.
“When we sent her in there, we knew it would be at least a two-week deal,” Callaghan said. “These situations are always worrisome. We’ve seen some improvement.”
Ragtime Blues to make debut
Ragtime Blues, a Union Rags colt purchased for $500,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale, will have his career debut in a maiden special weight race at a mile at Los Alamitos on Sunday.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Ragtime Blues drew the rail in a field of six in the second race on a nine-race program. Ragtime Blues, who will be ridden by Abel Cedillo, has had a steady pattern of workouts in the last month, including six furlongs in 1:13.20 at Del Mar on Aug. 23.
Ragtime Blues is out of Home of the Blues, who was winless in 10 starts. Home of the Blues is a half-sister to Informed Decision, the champion female sprinter of 2009 who won 14 of 22 starts and earned $2,214,426.
Baffert also starts Bronn, who was fourth as the favorite in two highly regarded maiden special weight sprints at the Del Mar summer meeting.