Catalina Cruiser impresses in San Diego Handicap

DEL MAR, Calif. – Before the San Diego Handicap on Saturday at Del Mar, trainer John Sadler called Catalina Cruiser “the best horse nobody knows about.”

After the race, he called him “the next big thing.”

All it took was 1:42.95 and a dominating, 6 3/4-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile race in only his third start. Catalina Cruiser, in his first start around two turns and his stakes debut, crushed four rivals and stamped himself as a candidate for next month’s $1 million Pacific Classic, for which the Grade 2, $200,000 San Diego is the local prep.

Whether Catalina Cruiser runs in the Pacific Classic will depend on how he comes out of the race, obviously, plus what plans are made with Accelerate, who was scratched out of the San Diego.

Trainer John Sadler and owners Kosta and Pete Hronis have both Accelerate and Catalina Cruiser. Accelerate is the current early favorite for the Pacific Classic – having already won similar 1 1/4-mile races like the Santa Anita Handicap and Gold Cup at Santa Anita earlier this year – but if Catalina Cruiser is adjudged good to go for the Pacific Classic on Aug. 18, Accelerate could very well be on a plane for the Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 4.

Those decisions will be made over the next week-plus, after Catalina Cruiser’s condition is evaluated and Accelerate has a pair of works. For now, though, Sadler and the Hronis brothers are in the enviable position of having a pair of top-class older runners.

“Today he showed what he can do,” Sadler said of Catalina Cruiser while standing in the winner’s circle following the race. “Until you do it, you’re nervous.”

Catalina Cruiser ($4.60), the favorite, showed the confidence Sadler has had in him was merited. Although Catalina Cruiser, 4, had raced just twice – last October and then in May – he had trained like something special. In the San Diego, with Drayden Van Dyke up, Catalina Cruiser seized the lead leaving the gate from his rail draw and led his rivals on a futile chase. Dr. Dorr finished second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Dabster, then came Two Thirty Five and Harlan Punch.

Five ran, and five were scratched. In addition to Accelerate, others withdrawn were Sharp Samurai, Curlin Rules, Prince of Arabia, and El Huerfano.

Sadler entered Catalina Cruiser in the race as a back-up plan. He had hoped to run him in an allowance race scheduled for Sunday, but the allowance drew insufficient entries and was not used. Rather than sit on Catalina Cruiser any longer, Sadler decided it was more prudent to run him now and save Accelerate for something later.

“The race didn’t fill,” Sadler said. “I didn’t want to wait three weeks and have it not fill again. We threw him into the deep end of the pool and he swam fine.”

Catalina Cruiser, a colt by Union Rags, was purchased for the Hronis brothers by bloodstock agent David Ingordo as a yearling for $370,000. Owing to his large size, Catalina Cruiser did not race until October of last year, at age 3, when he beat maidens going six furlongs at Santa Anita.

He had a “flake in a knee after his first start,” Sadler said, and thus was off until May, when he won another six-furlong race at Santa Anita, this time a first-level allowance.

“He’s a route horse who can win going short,” Sadler said.

It looks like he can do a lot.