Cats Inthe Timber holds off Crypto Mama in Weber City Miss
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LAUREL, MD. - Displaying tenacity in the stretch on Saturday, Cats Inthe Timber earned an automatic entry into Pimlico’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes when besting Crypto Mama by a half-length in Laurel Park’s $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
The Weber City Miss was one of four stakes on the Saturday program, topped by the Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds. The other supporting stakes were the $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs and the $100,000 Heavenly Cause for fillies and mares at one mile.
Trained by Brittany Russell and ridden by Jevian Toledo, Cats Inthe Timber settled off the pace as odds-on favorite Girl Trouble set slow fractions of 25.03 and 50.98 seconds while pressed by Crypto Mama.
Multiple stakes-winner Girl Trouble never looked comfortable under Paco Lopez, however, and she dropped back precipitously after six furlongs in 1:15.68.
Crypto Mama poked her head in front, but Toledo made certain to keep Cats Inthe Timber within range. They ratcheted up a four-wide challenge outside the quarter pole, made the lead in the five path in upper stretch, then dug in to deny a resurgent Crypto Mama in 1:47.42 seconds. She returned $16 to win as the third-choice in the betting.
Six the Hard Way was another 1 3/4 lengths back in third. She was followed home by Cynergy’s Electra, Ginger Girl, and Girl Trouble, who finished off the board for the first time in her 10-race career.
Pharoahs Baby Gyal, a strong contender on paper, also entered by Russell, was scratched in the early afternoon.
“She’s had a foot that’s been niggling her," Russell said. “She came in this morning and it wasn’t as good as it was yesterday so we made the decision that the right thing to do was forget today and get her right.”
As for Cats Inthe Timber, Russell always felt that more distance would be right up her alley. “There’s not a lot to her, but she has a big stride. She covers a lot of ground.”
Russell was also impressed by the courage Cats Inthe Timber displayed when engaged again by Crypto Mama in the final sixteenth.
“That’s what Jeremy Rose [aboard for Cats Inthe Timber’s first five starts] always said,” Russell continued. “She’s just game. You put her up aside a horse, and she’s just going to fight.”
The Black-Eyed Susan might very well be in the cards for Cats Inthe Timber’s next start.
“I’d like to think we’ll take a swing,” Russell admitted. “She’s taken the right steps forward so I’ll talk to the team and see what they want to do.”
Cats Inthe Timber is a Kentucky homebred owned by Haymarket Farm. She is by Honor Code out of an unraced half-sister to Grade 1 Cigar Mile winner True Timber.
Russell and Toledo both won the first Grade 1 of their careers when Doppelganger upset last Saturday’s Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.
*Frank Y. Whiteley
Trainer Phil Capuano won the first stakes of his burgeoning career when Alwaysinahurry took a competitive edition of the Frank Y. Whiteley.
Capuano’s father is Gary Capuano, a high-level trainer also based in Maryland. Gary Capuano trained Captain Bodgit to place in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 1997.
Phil Capuano inherited a 35-horse stable from his uncle, Dale Capuano, at the beginning of the year. One of those horses was Alwaysinahurry, who races for the Mopo Racing partnership, spearheaded by television personalities Maury Povich and Connie Chung, who are married.
Kenny Had a Notion was ridden aggressively to make the lead in the Frank Y. Whiteley and opened up a clear lead after an opening quarter-mile in 23.27 seconds.
Hello Hot Rod was the first to attack the pacesetter, and that one forged to the front after a half in 46.73. Alwaysinahurry and jockey Jorge Ruiz were in full flight, however, and they leapt on the pacesetters at the three-sixteenths pole.
Alwaysinahurry drifted in slightly in the stretch, then stayed about his business to best Hello Hot Rod by a length in 1:24.05 seconds.
Yodel E. A. Who charged from the back of the pack to finish another length behind in third. Then came Bankit, favored Factor It In, Al Loves Josie, Kenny Had a Notion, Informative and Eastern Bay, who was reported to have bled by the stewards. Witty scratched.
Alwaysinahurry survived a stewards’ inquiry as Factor It In, Bankit and Al Loves Josie all had varying degrees of traffic issues after Alwaysinahurry drifted inwards. The winner paid $19.20 as the sixth choice in the betting. It was the third stakes win of his career.
Capuano noted that the inquiry was nerve-wracking. “My heart got racing when I saw the head-on. It looked like he might have laid in on Factor It In just a touch and that caused a snowball effect.”
Alwaysinahurry was bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Quin Bowman and Rebecca Davis. Mopo purchased the Great Notion gelding for $70,000 as a yearling in 2019.
The winner of the Concern Stakes at Pimlico in 2021, and the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial last year, Alwaysinahurry has captured 6 races from 23 starts.
*Heavenly Cause
Unfazed by flashes of lightning and rolling thunder, Beth’s Dream dominated the field in the Heavenly Cause.
Trained by Victor Barboza Jr., Beth’s Dream looked like a winner every step of the one-turn mile under jockey Jaime Rodriguez.
After breaking from the far outside post in the eight-horse field, Beth’s Dream sat comfortably just off Hashtag Lucky through an opening quarter of 24.63 seconds.
Rodriguez remained outside and in the clear aboard the 7-5 favorite after a half in 49.17, and they breezed to the front following three-quarters in 1:14.01.
Beth’s Dream assumed a clear lead turning into the long stretch, then held Grade 1-placed Pass the Champagne two lengths away despite failing to change leads. The final time was 1:38.32 and Beth’s Dream returned $4.80 to win.
Pass the Champagne was in behind horses swinging for home, found a seam along the inside, and tried her very best for second. Award Wanted was another 4 1/4 lengths behind in third. Then came Moma Tiger, Mavilus, Deco Strong, Hybrid Eclipse and Hashtag Lucky. Jump Into the Fire scratched.
The Heavenly Cause was Beth’s Dream’s first career stakes victory, and it came on the heels of a nine-length victory in a high-class allowance at Gulfstream last month, also contested over a one-turn mile.
“I’m very happy for the mare,” said Barboza. ”She’s a very nice mare and the one mile is perfect for her. It’s the fourth time she won, and they haven’t been close. I’m very happy for the owner and it’s very important for me. I don’t know right now, but I think running at Monmouth is next.”
Foaled in Florida, 5-year-old Beth’s Dream is a homebred racing for Virginia and James Gamble. She is out of stakes-winning dirt miler Gator Brew, and is a half-sister to stakes-placed turf miler Devilish Romance and stakes-placed turf sprinter Bart’s Dream.
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