Catholic Boy drills for Belmont Derby

ELMONT, N.Y. – Catholic Boy, the winner of the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge here on June 2, returned to the work tab Friday, breezing a half-mile in 50.76 seconds over the Oklahoma turf course at Saratoga in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby on July 7 at Belmont Park.

Trainer Jonathan Thomas said the fact that he worked Catholic Boy on Friday is an indication of how well the horse came out of the Pennine Ridge.

“I was going to let his energy level dictate whether we breezed him two or three times,” Thomas said. “I felt he really bounced out of it well. He’s doing great up here in Saratoga. The weather is agreeing with him. We felt like we needed to do a little something. He seemed to take that race very well.”

Catholic Boy, a son of More Than Ready, is 3 for 4 on turf with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Catholic Boy has common ownership with Hawkish, the winner of the Penn Mile, who is slated to return to the work tab Sunday at Belmont Park, according to trainer Jimmy Toner.