Farrell might turn back for Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Wayne Catalano is contemplating a turnback in distance for his stable star Farrell, the speedy 4-year-old filly who has run at a mile or longer for most of her 18-race career. Catalano said the seven-furlong Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint here Nov. 3 is under consideration for her.

“I’m still not sure what we’ll do,” Catalano said Wednesday. “We might prep at Belmont, maybe Santa Anita, maybe just wait for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Farrell, an earner of nearly $1.1 million, all for the Coffeepot Stables, is back on a regular breeze schedule at Churchill after most recently finishing a distant fifth behind Abel Tasman and Elate in the Aug. 25 Personal Ensign at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga.

“Those two are awfully tough, so we’ll maybe want to avoid them,” Catalano said. “The filly is doing really well, probably the best I’ve ever had her. We’ll come up with something.”

Cairo Cat gets Lasix

When Cairo Cat earned an automatic berth into the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with his 17-1 upset of the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes here last Saturday in his third start, the colt was racing on the diuretic Lasix for the first time, even after winning his prior start, an Aug. 11 maiden race at Saratoga.

“I try not to run many of my 2-year-olds on Lasix, especially when it’s hot and they might be prone to getting dehydrated,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “I tinker with it quite a bit. I’ve even had some older horses like Daddys Lil Darling never even run with it at all. It’s not a big deal either way to me, really.”

Unlike Serengeti Empress, who on Saturday won the filly counterpart to the Iroquois, the Pocahontas, and will not race again until the BC Juvenile Fillies, Cairo Cat most likely will run once more, in the Oct. 6 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, McPeek said.

11 fillies in Dogwood

A field of 11 3-year-old fillies is entered to run Saturday in the $100,000 Dogwood, the lone stakes this weekend at Churchill. The 11-race Saturday card will start at 12:45 p.m. Eastern.

From the rail out, this is the lineup for the seven-furlong Dogwood: Figarella’s Queen, Divine Queen, Shes Our Fastest, Jean Elizabeth, Miss Mimosa, Devine Mischief, Everyonelovesjimmy, Salt Bae, Primo Extremo, Naples Legacy, and Go Google Yourself.

◗ A pair of main-track allowances (races 2 and 9) will be highlighted Friday at Churchill when a 10-race card gets under way at 12:45 p.m. The purse for race 9 will max out at $60,000. Five of the seven 3-year-olds and up in the field are entered for an optional $62,500 claiming tag. Town Classic, trained by Eddie Kenneally, could come a slight favorite in the six-furlong race.