Laurel Park: Ben's Cat likely to scratch out of Dave's Friend

The millionaire Ben’s Cat, who would have been the star attraction on a Saturday program at Laurel Park that includes four $100,000 stakes, is unlikely to run.

King Leatherbury, the breeder, owner, and trainer of Ben's Cat, told Maryland Jockey Club officials Friday afternoon that he is leaning towards scratching his star 7-year-old sprinter from the Dave's Friend.

“I haven’t officially scratched but probably will,” Leatherbury said.

Leatherbury indicated he will point Ben's Cat, who has won 23 of 36 starts, including 18 sakes, to the $250,000 Fabulous Strike, a race he won last year, on Nov. 27 at Penn National or the Grade 3, $300,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct on Nov. 28.

The likely withdrawal of Ben's Cat would leave a field of eight, topped by the 3-year-old Rainbow Heir and the 11-time winner Action Andy.

Rainbow Heir raced wide on a day when the rail was golden at Parx Racing last time out. Even more significantly, the Grade 3 Gallant Bob has turned out to be a key race. Runner-up Clearly Now returned to win the Grade 3 Bold Ruler in New York with a 109 Beyer. The fourth-place finisher, Zeewat, won the $100,000 Damascus on the Breeders’ Cup Classic undercard at Santa Anita.

Action Andy’s 6-year-old campaign has not been nearly as successful as his 2012 season, in which he won 7 of 12 starts, including the Frank De Francis Memorial Dash. But he should be primed for a peak effort making the second start of his current form cycle following a five-furlong bullet move at Laurel on Nov. 6.

◗ The six-furlong James F. Lewis III Stakes (race 8) features a good group of 2-year-old sprinters, led by graded stakes winners Corfu and Debt Ceiling.

Corfu, who has been in front after the first half-mile in all four of his starts, won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and most recently was second in the Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont Park in late September. Trainer Todd Pletcher has given the mount on Corfu to Laurel-based Horacio Karamanos, who replaces the injured John Velazquez.

"He is very fast,” Pletcher said of Corfu. “I was a little disappointed in the Hopeful but other than that he has showed up and run hard every time. He has a lot of natural speed so we’ll let him use that without over doing it."

Pletcher also has entered Aarons Orient, whom owner Gary Barber purchased from Steve Asmussen’s stable after a victory in the Kip Deville Stakes at Remington Park in late September.

“We got him about a month ago and he has been very impressive to watch train," Pletcher said. "Both of his breezes for us have been quite good. There is so much speed in here, something has to give"

.Debt Ceiling, winner of the Grade 3 Bashford Manor in June and the First State Dash at Delaware Park in September, returns to sprinting after he was eased when he flashed speed and tired badly in the Grade 1 Champagne going a mile.

The lineup also includes Pure Sensation, winner of a fast maiden race in New York for Christophe Clement, and It’s a Bang and Joint Custody, the 1-2 finishers in last month’s Maryland Million Nursery.

◗ Eighttofasttocatch, easy winner of last month’s Maryland Million Classic going 1 1/8 miles, will be difficult to deny cutting back to a mile in the Jennings Handicap for Maryland-breds (race 4).

◗ Who’s in Town, disqualified after finishing first in the Grade 2 Adirondack, and Co Cola, an impressive debut winner in New York for Pletcher, head seven 2-year-old fillies in the six-furlong Smart Halo (race 6).

Fans will also get to say farewell to the Maryland-based filly Dance to Bristol, who will be honored prior to the fifth race in a retirement ceremony two days before leaving for Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington, Ky., to start a new career as a broodmare. Dance to Bristol won 10 of 20 starts and $980,880 in a career that concluded earlier this month with a sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.