Belmont Derby to rematch Catholic Boy, Analyze It

ELMONT, N.Y. – Catholic Boy and Analyze It, the 1-2 finishers in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes, are expected to meet again in next month’s Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby at 1 1/4-miles.

Seemingly defeated in midstretch of the Pennine Ridge here on Saturday, Catholic Boy altered course and came back in deep stretch to edge Analyze It by a neck.

It was Catholic Boy’s first start on turf since he finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He began his career with two wins on turf.

After the Breeders’ Cup, Catholic Boy switched to dirt, winning the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. This year, he finished second in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa and fourth in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream, a race in which he was found to have bled.

“He overachieved on the dirt,” said Jonathan Thomas, the trainer of Catholic Boy. “He showed the other day he just really relishes the grass.”

Catholic Boy had come from off the pace in his races, but employed a new dimension in the Pennine Ridge. He was sent to the lead by Javier Castellano before re-rallying after being passed by Analyze It in the stretch.

“I don’t know that he’s got a tremendous turn of foot, but he’s got great tactical speed and it looks like he can carry it far,” Thomas said.

Catholic Boy shares common ownership with Hawkish, who dominated Saturday’s Grade 2 Penn Mile by three lengths and is now pointing to the Belmont Derby.

Trainer Jimmy Toner believes the 1 1/4 miles of the Belmont Derby will suit Hawkish.

“He’s bred for it,” Toner said. ”I have no qualms about the mile and a quarter.”

Analyze It, who suffered his first defeat in the Pennine Ridge, is still moving forward to the Belmont Derby, trainer Chad Brown said.

“Disappointing that his first try at a mile and an eighth he didn’t win, so obviously you have some reservations about stretching him out even further,” Brown said. “But I’m not going to change my plan going for that race because I still believe he can stay the distance. It just wasn’t his day. It’s my job to try and figure out why and how we can get him to run a race we know that he’s capable of.”