Three Ohio champs clash in Babst

Two stakes highlight Saturday's closing day program at Beulah Park, the $50,000 Babst/Palacios Memorial, a handicap for Ohio-breds, and the $20,000 Alyssa Handicap, for fillies and mares who have started locally this year. Both races will be run at six furlongs.

Cat Singer, Catlaunch, and Pforperfectspistol, three of last year's divisional champions, will all meet in the Babst/Palacios.

Cat Singer, trained by Doug Cowans, won 4 of 5 races last year with his lone loss coming in the Babst when jockey Hector Rosario was thrown at the start. He will be well backed in his first start of the year after a series of nice works. The 7-year-old Cat Singer, who will be ridden by Rodney Prescott, won four Ohio-bred stakes last year.

The horse to beat in the Alyssa is Donamour. Perfect in her four starts locally, she is coming off an even fourth-place effort in a $25,000 claiming race at River Downs.

Donamour will be ridden by Otto Thorwarth, who rode her to her last three victories locally.

Six starter allowance races for horses that have run at the winter/spring meet will also be contested on the 11-race card.