Catholic Boy not entered in Kelso due to minor soreness

ELMONT, N.Y. – Catholic Boy was held out of Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park due to some minor soreness, trainer Jonathan Thomas said Wednesday.

“His last breeze was a little subpar for him,” said Thomas, referring to a half-mile breeze Sunday timed in 51.59 seconds over the Belmont training track. “We found a little area that he’s a little bit sore on. It’s nothing to be concerned with, but it’s not ideal going into a race.”

Thomas said Catholic Boy galloped well enough Wednesday morning over the training track. “It tempted me to want to enter him,” Thomas said.

Catholic Boy was the 124-pound highweight for the Kelso, which would have been his first start around one turn.

“I don’t know that we need to be experimenting with him at this point in time,” Thomas said.

Instead, Thomas said that Catholic Boy would most likely be pointed to a turf race for his next start. Among the options are the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 5 or the Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita the same day.

Thomas said there is also the option of simply attempting to train Catholic Boy up to the Breeders’ Cup, either the Mile or the Dirt Mile.

Thomas said he does not plan to breeze Catholic Boy this weekend, but will likely do so next weekend.

Meanwhile, the Kelso drew a field of seven including two horses – Golden Brown and Monongahela – that are cross-entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Parx Dirt Mile. Golden Brown also is entered in the Grade 3 Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup at Laurel Park on Saturday.

Prince Lucky and Pat On the Back figure to be among the top choices in the Kelso. Prince Lucky has not run since he took the State Dinner Stakes here on July 7. Pat On the Back, who is 5 for 10 at Belmont, is coming off a third-place finish in the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 9.

Others entered in the Kelso include Plainsman, Tale of Silence and True Timber.