Photo Image sharp for slumping Catalano

STICKNEY, Ill. - At Arlington, Wayne Catalano is like the Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams, questing for a .400 batting average every summer. This year, running away with another training title there, Catalano hit .365, an awesome number considering the amount of stock his stable sent out. But savvy Hawthorne players take a different approach when Chicago racing action shifts across Chicagoland in late September. So far at this meet, Catalano's .125 batting average, rather than earning him a spot in the Hall of Fame, might get him sent down to the minors.

Not to fear. Before this meet gets too deep into winter, Catalano figures to start firing again, and he definitely has the horse to beat in the nominally featured fourth race on Sunday, an entry-level allowance carded for one mile on turf.

Photo Image won a conditioned $35,000 turf claimer two races back at Arlington, and was beaten a half-length Sept. 7 in a entry-level turf allowance there. And Sunday, she has landed in a spot that seems tailor-made for a win.

That is provided, of course, that her Arlington form transfers to Hawthorne - the whole issue with taking short prices on Catalano-trained horses right now.

Photo Image has done well at Hawthorne before. Racing on dirt, she won a maiden-special-weight race in the spring, which at least shows that Photo Image trains all right here, and handles the hard-core urban environment.

A few horses have a chance at an upset. Holy Sunset was fifth on the Turfway synthetic surface in her most recent start, but seems better on grass. She won a maiden-special-weight race at Arlington, and twice was third on the turf course there over the summer. Little Boot, who should be a huge longshot, has never raced on turf, but is out of a Corporate Report mare - a hint that grass could move her up. Grass did move up Powder River, who had been racing on dirt all season before winning a $25,000 3-year-old turf claimer here Sept. 21.

And finally there is Christina's Courage, who has enough ability to get the job done, if she can get the distance. Christina's Courage won her grass debut July 14 at Arlington, but that came in a five-furlong turf sprint. Moved up to two turns in her first try with other winners, Christina's Courage faded to eighth. But in a one-mile turf race here on Oct. 8, she was a much closer fourth.

"Her mother was a great miler, but that was mostly one-turn miles," said trainer Tony Granitz. "I'm putting blinkers on her, too. She ran a good race last time, but she ran in spots. We're taking a shot in there. Catalano's horse looks tough."

Back to Catalano. So often in Chicago, it comes down to that.

No Tolerance not yet done for '06

After No Tolerance scored a hard-fought victory Sept. 30 in the Grade 3 Carey Memorial, trainer Mike Campbell figured his horse had done enough for 2006. But Campbell figured again.

Though he has won two of his last four starts, and exits a graded stakes victory, No Tolerance barely qualifies for a high-end allowance race on Oct.o21 at Keeneland, and Campbell said he plans to ship No Tolerance from Hawthorne for that race.

"It may be back too quick, but he's a strong, healthy horse," said Campbell. "It's $60,000 and an opportunity to run him. Grass and a mile is what he loves to do, and you have to take the opportunities."

No Tolerance and Kid Grindstone, who finished third in the Hawthorne Gold Cup on the same day as the Carey, both bounced back well from their races, Campbell said.

"I thought they'd be tired - they ran their hearts out - but they cleaned up their feed and went back to work three days later," he said.

Kid Grindstone will ship to Keeneland with No Tolerance, and will breeze over the Polytrack there the day after No Tolerance races, Campbell said.

Provided he works well enough, Kid Grindstone will ship back to Kentucky to run in the Fayette Handicap on Oct. 28.