Thistledown: Catlaunch seeks 25th stakes victory in George Lewis Memorial

The venerable Catlaunch, who ended a 13-race losing streak when he won the 24th stakes of his 105-race career last month, takes on a field of nine other older Ohio-accredited horses in the $50,000 George Lewis Memorial at Thistledown on Saturday afternoon.

Trained by Ivan Vazquez, the 12-year-old Catlaunch has won the 1 1/8-mile Lewis three times, most recently in 2011. He was a distant third in last year’s running.

Catlaunch comes into Saturday’s race off a nose win at Beulah Park on June 16 in the 1 1/16-mile Gendleman Memorial.

Catlaunch has won 7 of 13 starts going nine furlongs and has earned more than $1.1 million competing almost exclusively against statebred company.

Raise the Reward is looking for his second win of the year for trainer Jeff Radosevich. Two starts ago, the 7-year-old Raise the Reward won the six-furlong Mike Rowland Memorial in front-running fashion. Most recently, he finished eighth behind Catlaunch in the Gendleman. Raise the Reward is winless in six attempts at Saturday’s distance, but he was second in last year’s Lewis.

Startin Something was the 2012 Ohio champion handicap filly or mare and is the only female in the Lewis field. Trained by Tim Hamm, the 5-year-old Startin Something has won once thus far in 2013, taking the six-furlong Classen Memorial on May 3. Most recently, she was a late-charging second, beaten only a half-length going 1 1/16 miles in the Petro Memorial.

Accredited is the more restrictive of the two Ohio-bred categories, as both the dam and sire must be in Ohio.