Vanderbilt's timing is ideal for razor-sharp Built
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In his more than 50 years on the racetrack, Wayne Catalano has learned many lessons, such as knowing to strike when the iron is hot. That is the reason he has decided to ship Built from his Churchill Downs base to Saratoga, where he figures to go postward the solid favorite in Saturday’s $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes.
The Grade 2 Vanderbilt will be decided at six furlongs and originally lured eight potential starters, although trainer Gregg Sacco reported Thursday that he plans to scratch both his entrants – Riyadh Dirt Sprint runner-up Just Beat the Odds and the multiple Grade 1-placed Crazy Mason. That leaves a field of just six that includes the Bill Mott-trained duo of Damon’s Mound and T Kraft, Hymn, Cat On Time, and Nutella Fella.
Built makes his New York debut off a hard-luck second-place finish behind the pacesetting Harrodsburg in the Grade 3 Bango Stakes at Churchill Downs. The race was decided over a sloppy track, and Built arguably lost his best chance by bobbling briefly after the break.
Despite the unlucky trip, Built earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure for his effort in the Bango. It was the third time in his last four starts the 4-year-old son of Hard Spun had registered a triple-digit Beyer.
“I would say bobbling at the start probably cost him the race,” Catalano said. “But the winner ran a great race, and I’ve been around long enough to know the best horse doesn’t always win, right?”
Catalano, who has trained four Breeders’ Cup winners and two Eclipse champions, also has been around long enough to know that finding the best spots for his horses is one of the keys to the success he’s had as a trainer since ending his riding career with 1,792 victories in 1983.
“Our horse has definitely found his best stride pretty good right now, and the way this race came up, with Book’em Danno running just the other day and the other horse [Bentornato] getting hurt, I figured this was the right time to bring him over there,” Catalano reasoned.
Catalano is quite pleased by the fact Built drew on the extreme outside for his Saratoga debut.
“I love him on the outside, it should allow him to come out of there and settle and do what we want to do,” Catalano enthused.
Irad Ortiz Jr., who has been aboard Built in each of his last two starts, will retain the mount Saturday.
Sacco called it “horrible timing” when informing Daily Racing Form late Thursday morning of his intention to scratch both his runners from the Vanderbilt. He said Just Beat the Odds “will need some time off on the farm” and that he “didn’t see what he was looking for” when putting blinkers on Crazy Mason for his most recent workout Monday at Delaware Park.
Both Hymn and Cat On Time come into the Vanderbilt riding three-race winning streaks.
Hymn’s victory skein has been fashioned at three different racetracks and includes a runaway 5 1/2-length tally in the De Francis Memorial last month at Laurel Park for which he received a lifetime-best 98 Beyer Figure.
“He always showed ability but was inconsistent with his efforts. He just wasn’t staying focused, so we made the ultimate equipment change” and gelded him, trainer Ron Moquett explained when asked about Hymn’s recent improvement. “It’s made a big difference, but I still don’t think we’re getting everything out of him yet. And I truly believe he has one of those 110 Beyer races in him going forward. Although I’ll take a 78 if that’s still good enough to win this race because this is one of those events I’ve wanted to win ever since I took out my trainer’s license.”
The former claimer Cat On Time also has been well traveled during a winning streak that dates back to an optional-claiming and allowance race nearly a year ago at Ellis Park. Trained by David Jacobson, Cat On Time will be returning on relatively short rest after launching his 2026 campaign with another optional-claiming and allowance tally just 19 days earlier at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Damon’s Mound continues to maintain his top form at the age of 6, having won four of his last five starts with his lone setback during that streak a second-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Sprint on Feb. 21. His stablemate T Kraft could prove an upset threat if able to run back to his one-length optional-claiming and allowance victory this spring at Aqueduct for which he earned a career-high 97 Beyer.
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