Brahms Cat stays on dirt, seeks second straight win
MIAMI – Trainer Larry Bates’s 2-year-old filly Brahms Cat may be the one to beat in Wednesday’s $34,000 allowance/optional-claiming feature at Gulfstream Park West.
Brahms Cat, a daughter of the late sire Wildcat Heir, brought $30,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. this year. Bates has been patient with the young filly owned by Bluestone Thoroughbreds LLC.
“We got her for the right price, and thus far, she’s done everything correctly,” Bates said. “Fortunately, I have patient owners. I don’t like to rush my young horses, and they didn’t make me rush her just to make the Sire [stakes] series.”
Brahms Cat made her first two starts on grass, finishing fourth and third against open maiden company, before switching to the main track and rallying to defeat Florida-breds by 1 1/4 lengths Sept. 24.
“One reason I started her out on the turf is because I believe it’s easier on a young horse to run on grass, and you can get them over a lot of the humps that way,” said Bates, who has been a regular on the local circuit since 1993.
“Her last race was definitely her best yet. She got knocked around and still managed to win. She seems to be improving with maturity, it looks like she’s even put on some weight since her last start, and hopefully she’ll come back with another big effort on Wednesday.”
Brahms Cat’s ability to rally from off the pace should work well against a speed-loaded field in the six-furlong main event on dirt. Several of her rivals, including Evvamene, U S Diva, and Lu Lu Laura, have stakes experience, having competed in one or more legs of this year’s Florida Sire Series.
Like Brahms Cat, U S Diva can run from off the pace. She finished third behind Cajun Delta Dawn in both the six-furlong Desert Vixen and the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl. She finished far back while trying two turns in the series finale, the 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl.
Lu Lu Laura finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of U S Diva in the Desert Vixen but faltered to a distant sixth after contesting sharp early fractions in the Susan’s Girl.
Lu Lu Laura figures as part of the early pace in Wednesday’s headliner. She is likely to be pressed by Evvamene, an impressive wire-to-wire debut winner before finishing a tiring fifth after prompting the early running of the Desert Vixen.
The undefeated pair of Touch of Quality, who led throughout in winning her only start last month at Gulfstream Park, and Rashette are also expected to be part of the early mix.
◗ When Midway Playa rallied down the center of the course to win her debut in Sunday’s finale, it gave trainer Eric Guillot his first victory since moving his stable to south Florida for the first time this fall. Guillot will be stabled through the winter at Palm Meadows.
The colorful Guillot, who upset the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga in July with Laoban, is best known for having won the 2014 Whitney and the rich Charles Town Classic the following spring with Moreno, as well as the Grade 1 Test in 2010 with Champagne d’Oro.
◗ The race to be leading jockey during the eight-week Gulfstream Park West meet figures to be a good one, with four riders likely to fight for the title right to the Nov. 27 closing day.
Edgard Zayas holds a slight advantage after the opening two weeks with a dozen victories heading into Wednesday. He is followed by Tyler Gaffalione, who won 11 races over the first eight days, and Emisael Jaramillo, with 10. Luca Panici had a big weekend and moved into fourth place with eight tallies.