Laurel Park: Ben's Cat will run in Maryland Million Turf

King Leatherbury completed his handicapping of two Maryland Million Day races and decided the Turf is the best option for his millionaire Ben's Cat.

The 7-year-old Ben’s Cat, seeking to become the first horse to win four Maryland Million races, was cross-entered Saturday at Laurel Park in the one-mile Turf and the six-furlong Sprint on dirt. The Turf’s $125,000 purse is worth $25,000 more than the Sprint, but Leatherbury was concerned about the distance of the grass race. The Turf Sprint, a race Ben’s Cat won the last three years, was dropped from this fall’s Maryland Million program.

Leatherbury informed Maryland Jockey Club officials on Friday morning of his intent to run Ben's Cat in the Turf. He said he did not like the fact his horse, the 124-pound highweight in the Sprint, would be spotting opponents four to 11 pounds.

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“The Sprint has some really fast horses in it,” Leatherbury said. “With the weight I was given, I think there were three that could beat me. I am the best horse in the Turf. The only question mark is the one-mile distance. Handicapping these races was fun. Before doing so I thought I would be running in the Sprint but after looking at the numbers, I changed my mind.”

In the Turf, Ben’s Cat will carry top weight of 126 pounds and face 10 opponents, including defending champion Roadhog, who comes off a stakes win over Pennsylvania-breds at Parx; Change of Command, beaten 1 3/4 lengths as the third-place finisher in the $250,000 PTHA President’s Cup last out; and Saintly Love, who put together a six-race winning streak this season before losing his last two starts.

With the defection of Ben’s Cat, Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Coley Blind said he expects Ribo Bobo to run in the Sprint. He was cross-entered in the $50,000 Starter Handicap, where he was listed as the 2-5 favorite. Ribo Bobo, a son of 1996 Preakness winner Louis Quatorze, has won all eight races this year. The Sprint also features defending champion Action Andy and Fersmiley, who has won four straight.

The richest race on the program, the $150,000 Classic at 1 1/8 miles, is topped by Eighttofasttocatch, a 7-year-old who won the race in 2011 but finished fifth as the favorite last year. He has raced just once following a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May, and not at all since early August. A pure front-runner, Eighttofasttocatch is listed at 2-5 in the track’s program.

“The key with him is to keep him happy, keep him fresh – that’s why he’s still 100 percent sound and doing great,” trainer Tim Keefe said. “I don’t think there’s any mystery about how this horse prefers to run. He is what he is. If somebody wants to go with him, they’ll kill themselves, especially with us drawing the 1 hole.”

There are four other stakes in the Maryland Million, which is for the offspring of Maryland sires, plus a pair of $50,000 starter handicaps and two maiden races worth $50,000 apiece.

In the other stakes:

◗ It’s a Bang, a romping winner in his career debut, and Joint Custody, a daylight winner in his first two starts, look by far the fastest among seven 2-year-olds going six furlongs in the $100,000 Nursery.

◗ Jonesin for Jerry, a 12-length winner in a starter allowance at Delaware, will be difficult to catch in the six-furlong, $100,000 Lassie for 2-year-old fillies.

◗ Defending champion Pagan Priestess, winless in five starts this year, and Can’t Explain, a Grade 3 stakes-placed 3-year-old who just defeated 10 rivals at Monmouth Park, are among the prime threats in the $125,000 Ladies at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

◗ Ju Ju Eyeballs, whose five wins this season include a pair of stakes at Monmouth, and Classy Coco, the winner of last year’s Maryland Million Lassie, are logical contenders in the $100,000 Distaff at seven furlongs.