Cathryn Sophia 'scary' good in work ahead of Princess of Sylmar Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After riding horses six days a week – many in the morning and in the afternoon – the last thing a jockey wants to do is work a horse on a dark day.

But after guiding Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia through a sensational six-furlong workout Tuesday morning, three-time Eclipse Award winner Javier Castellano was happy to have yielded part of his morning off.

Working shortly after the 7:30 a.m. renovation break over the Oklahoma training track, Cathryn Sophia went six furlongs in 1:15.00. The workout started at the five-furlong pole, and Cathryn Sophia went in splits of 12.90 seconds, 25.40, and 37.58. She went from the quarter pole to the wire in 24.92 and then from the wire to the seven-furlong pole in 12.50.

Then came the best part of the work. Cathryn Sophia galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.78 and a mile in 1:39.90.

“That’s scary,” said Castellano, who said that when he got off Cathryn Sophia he told trainer John Servis, “that filly’s really, really special.”

Said Servis of the work: “She impresses me every time, even when she goes an easy half in 50. She’s special.”

Castellano said that riding Cathryn Sophia around the turn was like riding a roller coaster on a sharp bend.

“It’s like you’re at Great Escape, on the rollercoaster,” said Castellano, referring to a nearby amusement park. “That’s what it felt like, you go into the turn ‘Wee, I’m going fast.’ It felt so good, with the wind in my face.”

After the work, Servis confirmed that Cathryn Sophia would make her next start in the $150,000 Princess of Sylmar Stakes at Parx Racing on Sept. 3. The one-mile race was basically written to entice Cathryn Sophia to run at Parx as a prep for that track’s Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion on Sept. 24.

The Cotillion also is expected to attract Songbird, the undefeated 3-year-old filly who is running in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga.

Cathryn Sophia has not started since finishing third behind Carina Mia in the Grade 1 Acorn on June 11 at Belmont Park. Servis decided to give her a freshening, but he wasn’t sure for how long. He brought Cathryn Sophia to Saratoga and was thinking of running in a race like the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 6 but opted to skip that.

“When we decided to give her a break I wanted to make sure she got enough of a break to be able to enjoy it and have it serve its purpose,” Servis said. “I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to point for a race until after we got her back going again and got a couple of breezes in her and see exactly where we’re at.”

Servis said the Cotillion, at Servis’s home track of Parx, is the race of utmost importance to him and owner Chuck Zacney. The Princess of Sylmar should be a good stepping-stone.

Castellano said the last time he remembered working a horse on a Tuesday at Saratoga was Union Rags five years ago, five days before he won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.

Ironically, Castellano may not be able to ride Cathryn Sophia in the Princess of Sylmar. That day, at Saratoga, there are four graded stakes, including the Woodward and Spinaway, both Grade 1 events.

Servis said if Castellano can’t ride Cathryn Sophia, he would likely use Paco Lopez.

Castellano also hung around Tuesday to work the three-time stakes winner Joint Return for Servis. That 5-year-old mare went five furlongs in 1:04.86, with a final quarter of 26.29. Servis said she is pointing to the $200,000 Miss Jacqueline Stakes at Thistledown on Aug. 27.