Cat Charmer responds three times when Coa asks

Eibar Coa asked Cat Charmer for three different moves in the $111,000 Pebbles Stakes at Belmont Park, and the 3-year-old filly made each one adeptly en route to a half-length score over Queen Joanne.

Breaking from the outside post in the seven-horse field, Cat Charmer was five wide straightening away down the backside in the one-mile race. Coa dragged Cat Charmer back to last and then guided her to the rail before asking her to advance into contention along the inside.

"I didn't want to be too far back and wide,'' Coa said.

Around the turn, Coa guided Cat Charmer off the rail and moved her into the two-path and had her right behind New Edition turning for home. At that point, he had to decide whether to go inside or outside.

Entering the stretch, Coa shot Cat Charmer through an opening along the inside and Cat Charmer responded with a powerful late kick to outfinish Queen Joanne, who was floated five wide in the stretch.

Cat Charmer, a daughter of Storm Cat owned by Don Adam and trained by Graham Motion, covered the mile in 1:34.85 and returned $7.10 as the slight choice ahead of Queen Joanne and third-place finisher New Edition. Cat Charmer got her last quarter in 22.10 seconds.

"She gave me those three moves and she ended up that way anyway, so that was a good performance," Coa said.

The Pebbles victory capped a three-win day for Coa, and an 11-win week which enabled him to open an 11-race lead over Cornelio Velasquez in the jockey standings with 10 days left in the meet.