True Cinder rolls into Catlaunch

In her last six races, True Cinder has faced every challenge posed to her with aplomb, winning them all to place among Ohio’s top fillies and mares. She looks to make it seven in a row in the $75,000 Catlaunch Stakes for Ohioaccredited runners on Saturday at Thistledown.

True Cinder, who is owned and trained by Michael Rone, has won her six straight races by a combined 31 lengths. The streak includes four stakes – the Glacial Princess Stakes, Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial Stakes, Cincinnatian Stakes, and, most recently, a 5 3/4-length romp in the Horizon Stakes against males. The races in the streak have been on both dirt and turf, at all three of Ohio’s Thoroughbred tracks, at distances from six furlongs to Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile distance.

True Cinder, who will have regular rider Ricardo Feliciano in the irons, drew post 5 in the field of seven for the Catlaunch. She is the only 3-year-old in the field, which includes both male and female runners, but True Cinder already has defeated older horses as well.

True Cinder’s chief competition may come from the 4-yearold multiple stakes winner Leona’s Reward. True Cinder defeated her in early May, but Leona’s Reward has won two of her last three outings. That includes a nose victory over Saturday rival Eightthehardway in the George Lewis Memorial Stakes at Thistledown.

Eightthehardway, the defending Catlaunch winner, is looking for his first victory of 2017 on Saturday. He has not finished worse than third in his last six starts, including a runner-up effort behind reigning Ohio Horse of the Year Mo Dont No in the Governor’s Buckeye Cup on Aug. 26.

Immediately preceding the Catlaunch is an open optionalclaiming

event for fillies and mares, which has drawn an imposing favorite in Nikki My Darling, another of Ohio’s top fillies. She comes off back-toback stakes wins, including an eight-length victory over the older Justalittlesmoke – previously unbeaten on the season – in the Pay the Man Stakes on Aug. 19. Nikki My Darling established a track record when winning the Norm Barron Queen City Oaks at Belterra Park two back.