Connections mark memorable day as Always Sunshine takes Tale of the Cat

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The hard-knocking 6-year-old Always Sunshine wore down My Boy Tate in midstretch and went on to take Friday’s $100,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes by two lengths at Saratoga.

My Boy Tate, making his first start since Feb. 19, had a five-race winning streak snapped. He finished second by 1 1/4 lengths over Silver Ride. Pop the Hood and Mr. Crow, the 8-5 favorite, completed the order of finish.

Always Sunshine’s victory came 33 years to the date (Aug. 10) that Mom’s Command won the Grade 1 Alabama here. Always Sunshine, like Mom’s Command, is trained by Ned Allard, who had not won a race at Saratoga since the Seneca Stakes in 1988 with Fuller’s Folly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve come to Saratoga and done that,” Allard said. “It was fun.”

Always Sunshine was ridden to victory by Frankie Pennington, who recorded his 2,281st career victory, his first at Saratoga. He had only three prior mounts here, all in 2011.

“First win in Saratoga to be a stakes, couldn’t ask for anything better than that,” Pennington said.

Allard said Always Sunshine has had a history of foot issues. In fact, a foot issue kept him away from the races for 10 months before returning in the Runhappy Stakes at Belmont where he finished third to Westwood. He ran fourth to Imperial Hint in the Grade 2 True North, a race where Always Sunshine was impeded by a horse that broke down in front of him.

“I don’t think we were going to beat [Imperial Hint] that day but I think he was going to make a horse race out of it,” Allard said. “But you need racing luck.”

Always Sunshine had good fortune in the Hockessin Stakes at Delaware Park last month, winning that race by 3 1/4 lengths over the graded winner Stallwalkin’ Dude.

Friday, Always Sunshine faced only four rivals including My Boy Tate, who was coming off a six-month layoff.

My Boy Tate, under Manny Franco broke running from the rail and had a half-length lead over Always Sunshine after a half-mile in 45.14 seconds. Always Sunshine took over from My Boy Tate just outside the eighth pole and was never seriously threatened thereafter.

Always Sunshine, a 6-year-old son of West Acre, covered the six furlongs in 1:09.79 and returned $7.20 as the 5-2 third choice.

“He’s a horse with a lot of talent, and it seems like if you time him right he’s kind of a dangerous race horse,” said Allard, who trains the horse for Gilbert Campbell’s Stonehedge LLC. “I was real pleased with his effort. I thought he kicked real hard the last part of it and that’s when it counts.”

Always Sunshine, who won the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Handicap in 2016, is now 8 for 23 with earnings of $517,650.

Allard said he would allow himself to dream big and consider pointing Always Sunshine to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November at Churchill Downs, though he would likely need a start before then. A race like the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park on Sept. 15 or the Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh at Belmont on Sept. 29 seem like the logical options.