Carson's Run makes bid for graded stakes with Tale of the Cat victory

Carson’s Run was outrun in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf ending his 2-year-old season, and failed to properly run the turn in making his 3-year-old debut in the Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct, but on Sunday at Monmouth Park he ran like a Grade 1 winner in a listed stakes, running over the leaders in midstretch to impressively win the $100,000 Tale of the Cat.

Second-place Full Nelson turned in a solid performance that in many cases would have sufficed to win at this class level, but he was beaten three lengths in this 1 1/16-mile turf contest for 3-year-olds. Full Nelson finished a head in front of Abrumar, the 19-10 favorite who had two lengths on pacesetting fourth-place finisher Izzy’s Notion.

Carson’s Run paid $9.20 as the second choice in a betting market widely populated by players apparently unwilling to excuse Carson’s Run’s last two performances.

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A debut winner at Saratoga, Carson’s Run finished second there in the With Anticipation Stakes before winning the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine. In the BC Juvenile Turf, he broke from the far outside post and never found a good rhythm, checking in ninth, and in the Woodhaven, Carson’s Run blew the end of the far turn, carrying himself way out into the course and losing any chance at victory.

Even at the three-eighths pole in Sunday’s race one might have harbored the idea that Carson’s Run had peaked as a late-summer 2-year-old. Racing from sixth, two paths off the rail and in some traffic into the far turn, Carson’s Run was being asked for more by jockey Vincent Cheminaud and not really giving it. But by the quarter pole, Carson’s Run had started moving up and, after turning into Monmouth’s short homestretch, Cheminaud guiding his mount to the far outside, Carson’s Run showed off some high-level acceleration. Covering his final 2 1/2 furlongs nearly a full second faster than any of his eight rivals, he made the lead past the eighth pole and cruised home a much-the-best winner, clocking 1:42.69 over a firm course.

Christophe Clement trains Carson’s Run for West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey. Carson’s Run is by Cupid out of Hot N Hectic, by Henny Hughes. A Grade 1 winner late last summer, he ought, after this Monmouth showing, to be headed back into graded-stakes competition this summer.

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