Catholic Boy gets dirty in Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Catholic Boy proved he could win on turf. With jockey Javier Castellano aboard in the Travers Stakes, Catholic Boy proved he’s not 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 yesterday.

That 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-yearold 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 and Mendelssohn, with Ryan Moore aboard, were at the front of the 10-horse field at the top of the stretch before Castellano put Catholic Boy in the lead, and he pulled away to win by four lengths. That gave trainer Jonathan Thomas a victory with his first entry in the Travers.

“It just doesn’t get any better,” said Thomas. “I’m just so proud of this horse.”

Catholic Boy covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2 minutes, 1.94 seconds and paid $16.20, $8.20 and $5.80.