Ben's Cat reigns victorious in Jim McKay Turf Sprint

BALTIMORE – The king isn’t through. Long live the king.

Ben’s Cat – bred, owned, and trained, appropriately enough, by King Leatherbury – was up in the final jumps Friday at Pimlico to win the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint for the fourth time in five years, adding another chapter to his storybook career as the king of East Coast turf sprinters.

The dramatic victory came on the first Preakness weekend since Leatherbury, 82, was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame.

“Just like a Hollywood script,” said Leatherbury.

Ben’s Cat paid $6.20 as the favorite in a field of 10 after finishing five furlongs in 56.04 seconds. Regular rider Julian Pimentel was aboard.

Bold Thunder, the 3-1 second choice, set the pace and opened a clear lead after turning home before ultimately being overtaken by the deep-stretch rail rally of Ben’s Cat when finishing second by a neck. Amelia’s Wild Ride was another 3 3/4 lengths back in third.

Ben’s Cat was making his second start as a 9-year-old. In his first, a five-furlong turf allowance April 17 at Pimlico, he had finished a non-threatening second to Bold Thunder. That defeat led to speculation that perhaps, at long last, the reign of Ben’s Cat atop the regional turf-sprint ranks was at an end, and he was only a lukewarm favorite as the field was loaded into the starting gate.

“In my mind, I thought that we would win, but I wasn’t so sure at the three-sixteenths pole,” said Leatherbury. When Bold Thunder angled ever so slightly toward the inside to make things tighter on Pimentel, “it’s always tougher to get through on the inside. We got there just in time.”

Ben’s Cat, a dark bay gelding by Parker’s Storm Cat, now has won a remarkable 29 races from 47 starts, with his earnings now moving to $2,396,005. He won the McKay in 2011, 2013, and 2014. Leatherbury said the gelding likely will run back in two weeks in the Governor’s Cup at Penn National.

The $2 exacta (3-7) paid $26, the $1 trifecta (3-7-9) returned $37, and the 10-cent superfecta (3-7-9-1) was worth $27.91.

The McKay is named for the internationally known sportscaster who was heavily involved in Maryland racing and helped inaugurate the Maryland Million in 1986. McKay died in June 2008.