Catholic Boy prepping for BC

ELMONT, N.Y. – Catholic Boy was supplemented to Monday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Knickerbocker Stakes – a 1 1/8-mile turf race – at Belmont Park, a race his connections hope to use as a springboard to a Breeders’ Cup race in three weeks.

Catholic Boy, a Grade 1 winner on both turf and dirt, has made only two starts this year and has not run since finishing second to Preservationist in the Grade 2 Suburban Stakes at Belmont on July 6. Since then, he’s dealt with a few minor issues, one that kept him out of the Kelso Stakes here on Sept. 21. His two most recent workouts have come on the turf and trainer Jonathan Thomas feels Catholic Boy can get more out of a race than if he simply attempts to train him up to the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 2.

“His last two works we were happy with, his body language is good. A mile and an eighth is really a good neutral distance to take us to the Breeders’ Cup,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that by running him 1 1/8 miles on Monday, it opens up the possibility of running Catholic Boy in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles. The other options for Catholic Boy are the $1 million Dirt Mile or the $2 million Mile on turf. Catholic Boy finished 13th in last year’s Classic.

Catholic Boy is 5 for 6 on turf in his career, including a victory in the Grade 2 Dixie at Pimlico on May 18.

He has been successful going turf to dirt. At 2, Catholic Boy won Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct after finishing a troubled fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. At 3, he won the Grade 1 Travers following his victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby on turf.

“He has a history of bouncing out of his turf races really well,” Thomas said. “We’ll learn a lot by running. It’ll answer some questions for us.”

Eight were entered in the Knickerbocker, including Lucullan, winner of the Lure Stakes at Saratoga, and Glorious Empire, winner of the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga in 2018. Noble Indy, a recent allowance winner, was entered in Sunday’s $100,000 Point of Entry Stakes as well as the Knickerbocker, with his connections wanting to evaluate both races before making a final decision on where to run.

Argonne, Cullum Road, Dr. Edgar, and Olympico were also entered in the Knickerbocker.

John Hertler retires

John Hertler, who trained Slew o’ Gold during his 1984 championship season and one of the nicest people on the backstretch, has retired from training following a 41-year career.

Hertler, 69, was down to four horses and has been battling Parkinson’s disease for years. He ran his final horse on Thursday, Yankee Division, who finished fourth in a $30,000 claiming race at Belmont Park.

“I didn’t have any stock. I have Parkinson’s disease, that didn’t help,” Hertler said by phone when asked why now is the time to retire. “Couldn’t make any money training.”

Hertler’s four horses are being split among George Weaver, Bobby Vetter (two), and Robert Falcone Jr.

Hertler won 751 races from 7,844 starters in a career that began in 1978. Prior to training on his own, Hertler worked for the Hall of Fame trainer P.G. Johnson.

In 1984, Hertler took over the training of Slew o’ Gold from Sidney Watters Jr. That year, Slew o’ Gold won the Whitney, Woodward, Marlboro Cup, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He crossed the finish line third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but was elevated to second with the disqualification of Gate Dancer from the runner-up spot.

Hertler said the 1984 Whitney was his fondest racing memory.

“Because he won so easily,” Hertler said. “[Jockey] Angel Cordero said that day he could’ve beat anybody around.”

Other stakes winners trained by Hertler included Kashatreya, Private Man, Man Alright, Man’s Hero, Ballindagin, and Slew the Dragon.

Security chief, NYRA part ways

The New York Racing Association parted ways with Bobby Sica, eliminating his position as vice president/chief security officer.

Sica, a veteran of the Secret Service and someone who grew up around the racetrack, was brought in 3 1/2 years ago by then NYRA CEO and president Chris Kay. Kay was fired in January due to ethics violations and Dave O’Rourke has been the president and CEO since then, officially taking over in March.

Sica believes his position was terminated because NYRA was not in a financial positon to implement changes to security that he recommended.

“It’s just a little bit of a philosophical divide on what I feel we need to bring ourselves into the 21st century when it comes to a security program,” Sica said. “We don’t have the economic horsepower to make those investments right now.”

John Clyne is still the director of security.

NYRA did not comment on Sica’s firing.

Sica is the fourth vice president who has been fired since O’Rourke took over. In June, Lynn LaRocca, the company’s chief experience officer; Bob Hughes, chief information officer; and Jim Ranton, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, were all let go with other people picking up some of their responsibilities.

NYRA did recently hire Harshal Kadakia as its chief information officer and Tatiana Torres as vice president/ human resources.