Catholic Boy works his way into Travers start

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It took less than a New York minute Monday morning for Catholic Boy to go from possible to probable for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes.

Catholic Boy, with jockey Javier Castellano up, worked five furlongs in 59.72 seconds over the Saratoga main track Monday, galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.08 and seven furlongs in 1:27.50.

Catholic Boy worked inside of the graded stakes winner March and went quick early with fractions of 11.79 seconds, 23.44, and 34.90 and still finished pretty well.

“I think it’s important on the dirt, especially early in the breeze, to get in a good rhythm, and he just got in a rhythm and he just didn’t stop,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “Javier came back and felt very good with what he felt underneath of him, how comfortable he was traveling. If he’s happy and the horse came back and cooled out quickly and handled the work well, I’ve got to be happy.”

Thomas had been thinking about running Catholic Boy in the Aug. 25 Travers even before the horse won the Grade 1 Belmont Derby at 1 1/4 miles on turf on July 7.

After Monday’s work, Thomas boosted Catholic Boy’s status for the Travers.

“I think we went from 75 percent to 95 percent pretty quickly,” Thomas said.

Gronkowski, the Belmont Stakes runner-up, had another solid workout Monday in preparation for the Travers. He breezed five furlongs in 1:01.09 in company with the 3-year-old maiden Allured. The pair got their final quarter in 24.89.

“I think we’re on schedule for the Travers, I like what I saw,” Brown said.

Hofburg, also preparing for the Travers, worked a half-mile in 49.23, his first breeze since his five-length victory in the Curlin Stakes on July 28.

“He went well, he finished well, it was meant to be an easy work,” trainer Bill Mott said.