Golden Gate: Catrageous fresh for Miss America

Things couldn’t have worked better for trainer Armando Lage when he claimed Catrageous for $25,000 at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 20. The 3-year-old filly won the Wine Country Stakes at Santa Rosa for new owner Mary Tucker on her birthday in her first start for her new connections.

Catrageous hasn’t raced since that July 27 victory, but Lage thinks she’s ready to fire again when she meets seven rivals in the $50,000-added Miss America on Saturday over the Golden Gate Fields turf course. Among her opponents are defending champion Halo Dolly, who won the Grade 3 Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood Park, and her Jerry Hollendorfer-trained stablemates Going for a Spin and Lady Aspen.

Lage said Catrageous has been ready to run for a while.

“I’ve been shopping for a spot for her and even entered her down south a couple times, but she was on the also-eligible list both times,” Lage said.

Though she hasn’t raced in nearly three months, Lage is not concerned about the filly’s fitness for the 1 1/16-mile turf race.

“She’s light, not a bulky filly,” he said. “She’s got a good series of works and hasn’t missed a day of training.”

Catrageous, a daughter of Tale of the Cat, enjoys running, so Lage works her carefully.

“She’s intense,” he said. “If I let her, she’ll overdo it in the morning. I pretty much have stuck with the same philosophy I had about her right away. I alternate long workouts and light training.”

Lage is realistic about her chances as she meets older horses for the first time.

“She’s doing very well, but she needs to move forward,” he said.

She may have to move up a lot.

Halo Dolly has won two Southern California stakes this year, but she finished behind Miss America rival Lady Aspen in both the Golden Poppy here and the Luther Burbank at Santa Rosa.

Luscious Lonna, scored a front-running upset over a yielding course in the Golden Poppy and will make her first start since that victory.

Stormy Lucy, twice a Grade 1 runner-up last year, won her lone start over the course in last year’s Golden Poppy. She is back in her element after a third-place finish behind Marks Mine in a sprint prep on the main track here last month.

Rounding out the field are Emerald Downs imports Madame Pele, who is coming off a victory in the Comcast Sports Network Stakes, and Cielator, a stakes winner who won an allowance at Emerald last out.