Ministers Wild Cat on a streak

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Ministers Wild Cat, the dominant sprinter at the Woodbine meeting, goes for his fourth straight victory Saturday in the $136,875 Bold Venture Handicap.

Ministers Wild Cat was briefly on the 2003 Kentucky Derby trail, when he was based in Southern California with trainer Neil Drysdale. After spending most of last fall in Kentucky, he was shipped here to trainer Scott Fairlie, and finished second in a Nov. 27 allowance.

Ministers Wild Cat won the opening-day feature, the six-furlong Jacques Cartier Stakes, by a nose over the winter-raced Judiths Wild Rush. Fairlie said he bypassed the April 30 Vigil Handicap with Ministers Wild Cat because of the timing of the race.

"It wouldn't have made sense to come back in the Vigil," Fairlie said. "The horse ran such a hard race on opening day, and he would have come back in just two weeks."

Ministers Wild Cat benefited from a speed bias in his decisive score in a $100,000 optional claimer May 27. His six-furlong clocking of 1:09.92 was good for a whopping Beyer Speed Figure of 112.

Then, in the allowance prep for the Bold Venture, Ministers Wild Cat set a slow pace en route to a workmanlike win. Fairlie said he anticipated some regression from Ministers Wild Cat in the prep.

"I didn't think he'd be as good that day," Fairlie said. "He was just much the best horse. He runs better with more time between his races."

Todd Kabel will ride Ministers Wild Cat, a son of Deputy Minister who was recently sold to Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC.

Among the others entered in the 6 1/2-furlong dash are High Blitz, Judiths Wild Rush, and Mike's Classic.

High Blitz is coming off a record-breaking performance at Fort Erie June 13, when he ran six furlongs in a track-record 1:08.35, winning an allowance by 3 1/2 lengths over favored Krz Ruckus. In the previous race on that card, $5,000 claimers ran three-quarters in a rapid 1:09.82, which helps explain why High Blitz received a Beyer Figure of just 96 that day.

High Blitz won his first stakes, the Christmas, on Dec. 26 at Mountaineer.

After his heartbreaking loss in the Jacques Cartier, Judiths Wild Rush upset Mobil in the seven-furlong Vigil. He trailed the field last out in the Grade 3 Highlander Handicap, his first grass attempt.

Mike's Classic also failed a recent turf experiment, which was his first outing since Oct. 16, when he took a $100,000 optional claimer with a Beyer of 111 at Belmont.