Empire of War nicely spotted in Tale of the Cat

Trainer Todd Pletcher scratched Empire of War from the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes on May 18 at Pimlico and has found a cozy spot for his horse Saturday at Monmouth in the $75,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes.

The Tale of the Cat is carded for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf, and with richer, more important races in the same division nearby this Saturday (Penn Mile at Penn National, Pennine Ridge at Belmont) Empire of War has an obvious path to victory. He is cross-entered in the Penn Mile but Thursday afternoon Pletcher said Empire of War would run at Monmouth.

Empire of War, Joe Bravo named to ride, finished a distant third over testing ground at Aqueduct on April 20 in the Woodhaven Stakes, his first start since last fall. Perhaps Empire of War has failed to progress from age 2 to 3, but anything close to his peak 2018 form will make him formidable in the Tale of the Cat.

On Nov. 4, Empire of War won the $100,000 Awad Stakes at Belmont with A Thread of Blue third. A Thread of Blue subsequently won multiple turf stakes at Gulfstream Park, finished a fine second in the American Turf at Churchill Downs, and is among the favorites in the Penn Mile.

Trainer Graham Motion won the Murphy with English Bee, and for the Tale of the Cat he has a colt named Solidify, who makes his turf and 3-year-old debut Saturday while starting for the first time under Motion’s care. At 2, based at Woodbine with trainer Reade Baker, Solidify showed ample ability winning a maiden sprint and the Group 3 Grey Stakes around two turns. Solidify, a son of Tapizar, has gotten in plenty of work at Motion’s Fair Hill base, but it’s an open question whether he can transfer his Tapeta Footings form to turf.

Trainer Chad Brown won 49 turf stakes during 2018 and already has 20 such wins this year, and Brown tries Standard Deviation in the Tale of the Cat. Standard Deviation flashed potential last year without ever actually fulfilling it and would be making his turf debut Saturday. Standard Deviation is by the versatile sire Curlin and out of the A.P. Indy mare False Impression, who won her maiden on turf while earning her career-best Beyer Speed Figure on a synthetic surface. Not only has Standard Deviation never raced on turf, he has yet to post a workout on grass, either.

Swamp Rat was cross-entered in the Pennine Ridge, but his connections intend to run at Monmouth, and Swamp Rat isn’t without a chance. In his lone 3-year-old start he finished second by a head at Tampa Bay to Global Access, who won the Grade 3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine in his most recent start.

Stretchout sprinter Chilly in Charge figures to set the pace, while Compound It races only if the race is switched to dirt.