Doctor Cat gets chance for reversal

ELMONT, N.Y. - New York-bred grass runners, who make for an interesting handicapping puzzle, have created an overflow field for Sunday's $75,000-added Kingston Handicap at Belmont Park.

Only 12 will be permitted to start in the 1 1/8-mile race over the inner turf. Four horses have landed on the also-eligible list.

Draw Shot, Pebo's Guy, and Plato's Love, share highweight honors at 119 pounds.

Plato's Love won last year's Kingston by a nose over Doctor Cat, who is also entered but is without a win in five starts since. Mike Luzzi rides Plato's Love from post 3.

Doctor Cat couldn't find the winner's circle in nine attempts last year but was close on plenty of occasions and earned $61,778 along the way.

Trainer Richard DeStasio prepared Doctor Cat for the Kingston with a May 4 race at Aqueduct, where the gelding finished fourth in his first outing since December.

"He's a very big horse and has trouble managing the sharp turns at Aqueduct," DeStasio said. "I think he was wider more than lengths than he got beat."

John Velazquez picks up the mount on Doctor Cat, who drew post 6.

The Kingston wouldn't be the Kingston if two-time winner Draw Shot weren't in the field. Draw Shot, an 8-year-old, has run in four Kingstons, but this will be the first time he has done so without a prep race. The gelding might need the race, as he hasn't started since last October.

Trainer Gary Sciacca said a layoff shouldn't bother Pebo's Guy, the 1999 Kingston winner, who hasn't been out since finishing 11th in a Calder stakes last December over a yielding course.

"He likes to run fresh and he loves Belmont," Sciacca said of Pebo's Guy, who sports a record of 7-4-2 from 18 starts over Belmont's turf.

Pebo's Guy, who has early speed, got stuck with post 10 for a short run into the first turn.

John Paul Too, another with early speed, is the wild card. If the race were run on a fast or muddy track, the 4-year-old would be the one to beat, but John Paul Too, a son of Sea Hero, is making his turf debut after 13 dirt starts.

Thunders Luck really moved up when switched to the grass for his last two starts. Thunders Luck, who should be a pace factor, is also a wet-track specialist in the unlikely event the race was switched to the dirt.

As the only 3-year-old in the field, Tom's Thunder gets a break in the weights at

109 pounds, but drew poorly in post 11.