Catalina Cruiser, Whitmore meet in True North

ELMONT, N.Y. – With the disappointment of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in the rearview mirror, trainer John Sadler is eagerly looking forward to Catalina Cruiser’s 2019 campaign, which begins Friday at Belmont Park in the Grade 2, $250,000 True North.

Catalina Cruiser and Whitmore, runner-up in the 2018 True North, top a field of 10 older horses in the 6 1/2-furlong fixture that serves as the opening leg of a special two-day, 20-cent pick six with a 15 percent takeout that includes Friday’s Belmont Gold Cup along with Saturday’s Woody Stephens, Met Mile, Manhattan, and Belmont Stakes.

Catalina Cruiser went postward the 4-5 favorite in the BC Dirt Mile after opening his career with four straight one-sided victories, all in California, highlighted by a 6 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap and an easier 7 1/4-length tally over Battle of Midway in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien. But Catalina Cruiser was not himself at the Breeders’ Cup, finishing a distant sixth, 17 1/2 lengths behind City of Light, after veering out at the start and racing wide throughout.

“The Breeders’ Cup was the first time he didn’t fire, and obviously, we were very disappointed about that,” said Sadler, who trains Catalina Cruiser for Hronis Racing LLC. “So we decided he needed a vacation after running so poorly. Our first preference is always to run at home if we can. But he’s ready to run now, and there’s really nothing for him in California. So we’re going out of town first off the layoff.”

Sadler said Catalina Cruiser couldn’t be training better for his return. He’ll have Joel Rosario aboard for the first time Saturday.

“His works have been pretty much perfect all along,” Sadler said. “Joel was in town [at Santa Anita] last Monday to ride Gift Box for me, he worked him and he said he went well. So I feel good about that.”

Sadler said he would normally be concerned about running a horse over the Belmont track for the first time. But not so much this season.

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“The track is so heavy out in California right now, I feel better about running over that deeper, sandy track than I would have in previous years,” Sadler said.

Sadler said he expects to see Catalina Cruiser, who breaks from post 3, within striking distance of the leaders from the outset of the True North.

“He’s got good speed and coming off the layoff, he should be close up,” Sadler said.

Trainer Ron Moquett has some tough memories of his own to deal with coming back to New York on Saturday. Whitmore had back-to-back frustrating neck setbacks here a year ago in the True North and Belmont Sprint, big efforts that served as stepping-stones to his impressive triumph in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga.

“Naturally, I want him to win every time he goes out there, but those were good races for him last year at Belmont even though he was narrowly beaten both times,” Moquett said. “It seems he likes that track and he’s coming into this race just the way you’d want a horse to come into a race like that.”

Whitmore, who capped his outstanding 2018 campaign with a second-place finish behind champion sprinter Roy H in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, has won once in three starts in 2019. He enters the True North off a somewhat disappointing fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Sprint.

“Things didn’t go in our favor last time, but he’s a pretty consistent horse and in races like these, you have to get a little luck with the trip,” Moquett said. “Hopefully, he’ll get good position, be able to stay within three or four lengths of the leaders, with Catalina Cruiser likely the one we’ve got to beat.”

Strike Power may have the best early speed in the field while returning to graded stakes company off an easy, wire-to-wire, optional-claiming win in his 4-year-old debut earlier this spring at Gulfstream Park, for which he received a near career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Nicodemus and Stan the Man renew acquaintances after finishing first and second, respectively, a neck apart, in the Grade 3 Westchester going a mile over a sloppy track on May 4.

Do Share, winner of the Grade 3 Tom Fool at Aqueduct, Bon Raison, Recruiting Ready, Gold for the King, and Mr. Dougie Fresh complete the lineup.