Fort Washington catches Quality G in Tale of the Cat
Fort Washington became a stakes winner Sunday when he closed for a half-length win over Quality G in the $100,000 Tale of the Cat at Monmouth Park.
It was another length back in third to favorite Portfolio Company.
The Tale of the Cat was for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Fort Washington ($22.20) settled in fifth off the pace as Airspeed Velocity set fractions of 23.17 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.61 for the half-mile and 1:09.61 for six furlongs, while pushed along by Portfolio Company. The eventual winner rallied through the stretch, getting past Portfolio Company, then new leader Quality G.
Fort Washington covered the distance on firm turf in 1:40.12.
“When I asked him to go, he was full of energy,” winning rider Jorge Vargas Jr. said during a post-race interview broadcast by Monmouth.
Shug McGaughey trains Fort Washington for the partnership of Allen Stable and Peter M. Brant.
Fort Washington is a son of War Front who had placed in a pair of stakes earlier in his career, running third in the Columbia at Tampa and second in the Woodhaven at Aqueduct.
He has now won 2 of 6 starts and the first-place check of $60,000 on Sunday pushed his earnings to $153,940.