Shashashakemeup ready to show in Tale of the Cat Stakes that he's worth $80,000 claim

SARTOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Horsemen spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at the Fasig-Tipton yearling auction across the street this week looking for a future stakes winner.

Trainer Peter Walder and owner David Bernsen hope they found theirs at the claim box four weeks ago.

On July 16, they claimed Shashashakemeup, winning a three-way shake to snag the 4-year-old colt for $80,000. Friday, they look to get a quick return on investment when Shashashakemeup runs in the $120,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes at Saratoga.

Walder said the colt’s “back class” was the reason Bernsen spent $80,000 to claim the horse, who sold for $45,000 as a yearling in 2018. Bernsen was originally thinking of sending him to Southern California where in January Shashashakemeup, then trained by Peter Miller, finished second in the Grade 3 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita.

“It’s kind of hard to pass up on this race, it’s the perfect condition for him,” Walder said, referring to the Tale of the Cat.

The Tale of the Cat is for horses who have not won a graded stakes in 2021. The six-furlong race drew only six runners.

Shashashakemeup ran second to Gun It when he was claimed here July 16, so he’s got a good race over the track. He is cutting back from seven furlongs to six furlongs, a distance at which he’s got 2 wins and 2 seconds from 5 starts. Lastly, he should get a strong pace to close into. Walder has Ricardo Santana Jr. to ride.

“There’s a ton of speed in there,” Walder said. “The race sets up well for him. Santana is riding great up here.”

The race also could set up well for My Boy Tate, who exactly four years ago on this date won his maiden going six furlongs at Saratoga. The 7-year-old gelding has twice finished second in the Tale of the Cat (2018 and 2020) and is coming off a second in the John Morrissey Stakes, run in the slop here July 29.

The quick turnaround is not that concerning to trainer Michelle Nevin because My Boy Tate had 12 weeks from his previous start to the Morrissey.

“There’s just not a lot of options for him,” said Nevin, also the breeder and part-owner of My Boy Tate. “He had plenty of time leading up to his last race. He’s still a pretty fresh horse.”

Manny Franco will have to work out a trip from the rail aboard My Boy Tate.

Wind of Change, Wondrwherecraigis, and Foolish Ghost are all front-running types, and each is coming off a win. Wind of Change, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., won the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth in the slop on May 29. Wondrwherecraigis won an allowance on July 18 at Pimlico. Foolish Ghost won the Morrissey Stakes with an outside press-pacing trip under Joel Rosario. He was getting four pounds from My Boy Tate that day. Friday they both carry 124 pounds.