Cathedral Reader breezes for stakes debut in G2 Prioress

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » G M B Racing’s Cathedral Reader, scratched from the Grade 1 Longines Test August 4, will instead make her stakes debut in the Grade 2, $250,000 Prioress September 2, trainer Dallas Stewart said Sunday.

Cathedral Reader breezed a half-mile in 48.76 seconds over the Oklahoma training track Sunday morning, sixth-fastest of 54 horses. It was her third local work since arriving from Churchill Downs, where she ran third in a June 21 optional claiming allowance in her most recent start.

Like the Test, the Prioress is restricted to 3-yearold fillies but is run at six furlongs, a distance that Stewart felt would suit Cathedral Reader better at this stage of her career. The daughter of 2011 Grade 1 Preakness winner Shackleford won her debut May 13 at Churchill going 5 ½ furlongs.

“She worked great today. She worked great last week, too,” Stewart said. “After I entered her [in the Test], I got to thinking that she wasn’t ready to go seven-eighths and then it rained so we decided to wait. I think it was the right call. She’s doing real good. I think she’ll light it up in the Prioress.”

Stewart said Rock Ridge Racing’s homebred Auspicious Babe remains on course for the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama for 3-year-old fillies going 1 ¼ miles August 18. She takes a two-race win streak into the race, breaking her maiden May 27 and beating winners in her comeback June 29, both going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill.

Auspicious Babe had her final work for the Alabama on Friday, going five furlongs over the Oklahoma in a bullet 1:00.17. Other horses pointing for the race are Coach Rocks, Eskimo Kisses, Figarella’s Queen, Midnight Bisou, She’s a Julie, and Talk Veuve to Me.

“She’s doing great. She worked great the other day and galloped out in 1:14,” Stewart said. “We think that she’ll handle the mile and a quarter. It’s a tough race, but it’s supposed to be.”

Charles Fipke’s Grade 1-winning homebred Seeking the Soul is expected to arrive in Saratoga August 22 to finalize preparations for his next scheduled start in the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward September 1.

Stewart said the 5-yearold son of Perfect Soul came out of his bullet fivefurlong work in 1:00.20 Saturday at Churchill in good order. Seeking the Soul ran fifth in his seasonal debut in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational January 27 at Gulfstream Park, then went unraced until finishing second in the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial July 14 at Indiana Grand.

“He had a little injury in the Pegasus and it just took a long time. We just jogged him for 60 days but he’s a real tough horse, and he got through it good,” Stewart said. “He had a good comeback race and he’s had some really good works since then. His fitness level for the Indiana race was maybe a little off but he got a lot out of it and he’s moving forward.

“We were glad to get a race into him, trying to figure out the right place to start him,” he added. “It was good. Hopefully it gets us to this spot. This is a major race. We’d like to win this one.”