Sadler will use City of Hope as a Breeders' Cup prep for Catapult

Catapult, second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs last November, is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile on Oct. 5 at Santa Anita after being withdrawn from Thursday’s Old Friends Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

Catapult was never sent to Kentucky, trainer John Sadler said Friday. The $200,000 City of Hope Mile will be Catapult’s first start since a fifth in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on July 21 at Del Mar and is designed as a prep for the BC Mile on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.

Sadler, who led all trainers with nine stakes wins at the Del Mar summer meeting, will have a busy start to the Santa Anita autumn meeting, which begins Sept. 27.

Fawree, the seven-length winner of an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at a mile on Aug. 17, is a candidate for the Grade 2 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on Sept. 28. There is a possibility Higher Power, winner of the Pacific Classic on Aug. 17, could start in the $300,000 Awesome Again or be held out of the race in favor of the BC Classic on Nov. 2.

“I don’t know if I’ll have two or one” in the Awesome Again, Sadler said.

Catalina Cruiser, who won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes on Aug. 25, will have his next start in the BC Dirt Mile on Nov. 2, while Ollie’s Candy, who won the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes on July 28, will run in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 29.

In early October, the stable plans to run Cistron in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 5 and Encoder in the $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes at a mile on turf for 2-year-olds on Oct. 6. Encoder won the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 1 and is unbeaten in two starts.

Sadler said there are no immediate race plans for Inspiressa, who finished second, beaten 8 3/4 lengths by Bast, in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 31. She is not expected to start in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Sept. 27.

“I think she’s out of the route race,” Sadler said. “We’ll look around for a race for her.”