Bold Cait relishes slop in Petro Memorial Handicap

The 3-year-old filly Bold Cait reaffirmed her affinity for wet tracks when she rolled to an easy victory in the slop over older Ohio-bred fillies and mares in Saturday’s $75,000 J. William Petro Memorial Handicap at ThistleDown.

In winning her third straight race this season for trainer Eric Reed, owners Kay Reed and Korus Derby Club, and jockey Edgar Paucar, Bold Cait ($8.80) improved her lifetime record to 6 for 9. She is 3 for 3 on off tracks, including last month’s off-the-turf Tomboy in the mud at Belterra Park, and 2 for 2 in routes.

Circle Can Run, winner of last fall’s Ohio Debutante in the slop, led through the first six furlongs in 1:14.00, but at that point Bold Cait, last of nine after the first quarter-mile and still after a half-mile went in 48.20 seconds, had launched a three-wide bid to get within a head of the early pacesetter. Bold Cait opened up a clear lead into the stretch, and cruised home to win by 5 1/4 lengths. She covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:47 flat.

Needmore Flattery, the reigning two-time Ohio-bred Horse of the Year, settled for second as part of a three-horse coupled entry that was hammered down from 6-1 on the morning line to even money. Morant Bay rallied to finish third, a half-length behind the runner-up, at 26-1.