Catalina Red shows much promise in dazzling Inaugural Stakes win

OLDSMAR, Fla. – People in racing, whether they are owners, trainers, or bettors, have learned through painful experience that one dazzling performance does not necessarily qualify a horse as a star. But those who were on hand at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday, when Catalina Red demolished his eight rivals in the $66,000 Inaugural Stakes, had to come away thinking that this horse has a very bright future.

Despite coming into the co-feature as a maiden, Catalina Red had shown enough promise in his three starts at Gulfstream Park and Gulfstream Park West to attract a good deal of support from bettors, who made him the second choice behind 5-2 favorite Supreme Justice.

A chestnut colt by Munnings, Catalina Red broke in the back of the pack in the six-furlong sprint but recovered quickly to shoot up the inside and stalk the leaders through a half-mile in 45.71 seconds.

It was through the final quarter-mile that Catalina Red put it into overdrive and unleashed a stretch run that was nothing short of breathtaking. He drew off like a good horse, with jockey Daniel Centeno basically just along for the ride, hitting the wire 7 1/4 lengths ahead of runner-up Charlie’s Brother. The Florida-bred Catalina Red sped through the final furlong in 11.69 seconds and covered the final quarter in less than 24, fractions rarely seen over the Tampa main track.

Trainer Chad Stewart, who has gotten off to quick starts at Tampa Bay Downs in each of the past three seasons, wasn’t overly concerned running a maiden in a stakes.

“These 2-year-olds are subject to make drastic improvements from race to race,” he said. “Even though we’d run him on the grass in his first two starts, I’ve felt all along he’d be well suited on the dirt.”

Stewart and owner Anthony Lenci purchased Catalina Red for $71,000 out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring sale of 2-year-olds in training.

“I had really liked how he looked and worked before we bought him,” Stewart said, “and I also think he should be able to go a little farther.”

The final clocking of 1:09.32 was a stakes record, and now Catalina Red’s connections will bring their young star back in the seven-furlong, $100,000 Pasco Stakes here Dec. 27.

Also on Saturday, R Sassy Lass wore down a game Coco’s Wildcat late to post her second straight win in the $92,500 Sandpiper Stakes. Kirk Ziadie sent out R Sassy Lass for owner Richard Averill.

Gallardo wins five

Antonio Gallardo finished strong to capture his first riding title in the United States at the 2013-14 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, and the Spanish jockey should be tough to dethrone this season. Gallardo won five of Saturday’s 10 races, including the Sandpiper, and has won 11 races from 32 mounts (34 percent) through the meet’s first four racing programs.

Speed dominates on main track

The main track at Tampa Bay Downs has always been somewhat speed-favoring, but even veteran observers said they can’t remember the surface being as kind to front-runners and speed types as it has been through the first four racing programs of the new meeting.

One big contributing factor to the tightness and glib nature of the strip has to do with the amount of rain the area was subjected to in November. National Weather Service statistics show that Tampa received 5.62 inches of rain last month, the area’s fourth-highest amount in November since the NWS began recording statistics in 1890. When moisture remains in the strip, it tightens the cushion material and minimizes fatigue for speed types, making it even tougher than normal for stalkers and deep closers to be factors.

Until the area gets a number of sunny days with strong winds that tend to dry out the top of the track surface a bit, bettors can expect speed to continue to reign supreme.