Cassatt has some growing up to do despite Monmouth Oaks win

While Cassatt’s victory in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on Saturday was impressive, owner Rick Porter saw both the positive and the negative.

He knows Cassatt, a lightly raced, long-striding daughter of Tapit trained by Larry Jones, has vast potential, but he also realizes she has a lot of growing up to do. Cassatt was hot in the paddock, a bit fractious in the starting gate, and bobbled when the gate opened.

“She was soaking wet in the paddock. Hopefully with a little maturity, she’ll get over that,” Porter said Sunday. “She gets very excited in the paddock. Larry sent three people up with her yesterday because she can be such a handful, and when they were giving the rider a leg up, she kicked one of them and hurt the girl’s shoulder.”

Jockey Kerwin Clark put Cassatt on the lead in the run to the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile Oaks when it seemed nobody else wanted it. Cassatt showed the way to the stretch, turned back a challenge from Aqua Regia in upper stretch, and drew off to win by 3 3/4 lengths. She was timed in 1:44.34 and given a 78 Beyer Speed Figure. She is now 3 for 4 in her career.

“She ran a little differently than we expected,” Porter said. “We wouldn’t have wanted her to be on the lead, but nobody else wanted it. On the backstretch, she was just galloping while everyone else was running. She has such a great stride.”

Jones holds Cassatt in such high esteem he has at times compared her to another horse he and Porter campaigned in 2011, the Horse of the Year Havre de Grace.

“Larry has always said she reminds him of Havre de Grace,” Porter said. “She has the same talent but not the same mind – at least not yet.”

Jones and Porter will consider the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion on Sept. 20 for Cassatt. Division leader Untapable and Test winner Sweet Reason are also being pointed for that race.

“Larry wants to take a big step with her next and go to the Cotillion,” Porter said. “It’ll be a big step, but I’m not going to argue if he thinks she’s ready. He has six weeks to decide.”

There were some eventful trips in the Monmouth Oaks.

On Sunday, trainer Patrick McBurney said Saintly Joan came out of the Oaks okay despite being forced into the rail on the far turn. She showed good courage after the incident to rally and finish third. She was placed second after runner-up Aqua Regia, who put Saintly Joan in tight on the turn while moving up to challenge Cassatt, was disqualified to third.

“She got bounced off the fence up there, but all it did was take a little hair off her shoulder, fortunately,” McBurney said.

Ria Antonia, the 4-5 Oaks favorite, finished fourth after racing in traffic to the stretch.

Ria Antonia broke inward at the start, raced in tight quarters along the rail on the clubhouse turn, moved up on the backstretch, but was shuffled back nearing the far turn. She was then taken outside for the stretch drive by jockey Jacob Radosevich and was beaten 1 3/4 lengths for second.