Catholic Boy wins on record Traver$ Day
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Catholic Boy proved he could win on turf. With jockey Javier Castellano aboard in the Travers Stakes, Catholic Boy proved he isn’t too shabby on dirt, either.
On a day when trainer Chad Brown saddled the top two favorites as he chased his first victory in the Travers at his hometown track, Catholic Boy stole the show, pulling away from Mendelssohn down the stretch and capturing the $1.25 million Travers Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.
The race highlighted a huge day at Saratoga, in which the track saw a record all-sources handle of $52,086,597. That was the first time the Travers Day all-sources handle exceeded $59 million, and it shattered the previous record, set in 2015 by 4.9 percent.
The victory boosted Catholic Boy’s total to six wins in nine starts, with four graded stakes victories on turf, and stunned co-owner Robert LaPenta.
“This has been a lifetime dream for me, and to win it with a horse like Catholic Boy, I’m speechless,” LaPenta said. “I didn’t expect this to happen.”
Maybe he should have with Castellano in the saddle for the 149th running of the Travers, the oldest major race in the country. Castellano won the Midsummer Derby for the sixth time, extending his record in the race.
“It feels so great. I’m blessed to be part of the history,” said the 40-year-old Castellano, who rode Keen Ice to an upset victory over Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Travers three years ago. “The trainer and owners gave me a lot of support to be part of this success. I had a lot of confidence. I went to pray every single Sunday. I felt so great, so comfortable with him because of the way he’s been training.”
Catholic Boy, who won the Grade 2 Remsen as a 2-yearold and posted back-to-back turf wins in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge and Grade 1 Belmont Derby, covered the 1 ¹/4 miles in 2 minutes, 1.94 seconds and paid $16.20, $8.20 and $5.80. Last in the Kentucky Derby after being the second choice, Mendelssohn, out of Ireland, acquitted himself well after finishing third in the Grade 3 Dwyer in July and paid $12.00 and $8.70. Bravazo returned $6.60 to show.