Wow Cat's Beldame win brings thoughts of BC Distaff

ELMONT, N.Y. - Wow Cat bounced back from two losses at Saratoga with an authoritative 3 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park. The win may have put her into the mix for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff next month at Churchill Downs.

Sitting comfortably in fourth under Jose Ortiz, Wow Cat joined the frontrunners at the three-eighths pole, gradually put away Come Dancing in upper stretch and drew clear to win easily. Divine Miss Grey, sitting third early, finished second by a half-length over Verve’s Tale.
Teresa Z finished fourth, followed by Come Dancing, Berned, Dreamcall, and the pacesetting Farrell.

The win was the ninth from 11 starts for Wow Cat, a 4-year-old Chilean-bred daughter of Lookin At Lucky. Her previous eight wins came in Chile.

Half-interest in Wow Cat was purchased last year by Peter Brant, who transferred her to Chad Brown. In two starts at Saratoga, Wow Cat finished second, beaten a neck by Farrell in the Grade 3 Shuvee, and third, 10 lengths behind Abel Tasman and Elate, in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign.

While acknowledging that Abel Tasman and Elate are better than Wow Cat, Brown didn’t think they were 10 lengths better.

“On a track she appreciates, I think the margin wouldn’t be quite that big,” said Brown, who just didn’t think Wow Cat liked Saratoga.

There were no horses the caliber of Abel Tasman or Elate - both multiple Grade 1 winners - in the Beldame.

Farrell, seeking to win her first Grade 1, set the pace, running a quarter in 23.59 seconds and a half-mile in 46.88 under Channing Hill with Come Dancing and Divine Miss Grey chasing from second and third.

Ortiz had Wow Cat right behind Come Dancing, but midway down the backstretch he pulled her one path wider.

“I said ‘Let me ride her like the best horse and put her in the clear and go on,' ” Ortiz said.

Wow Cat got within a half-length of the lead after six furlongs in 1:10.64, made the lead leaving the three-furlong pole and gradually drew off.

Wow Cat covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.75 and returned $4.60 as the 6-5 favorite.

“She looked great,” Brown said. “I was watching on a head-on screen and I felt really good. Jose was always looking around him, well in hand around the turn. I had a good feeling throughout the race.”

Brown said he would talk to the owners about a possible start in the Distaff on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

“The way she ran today and the fact she may just be coming around, really finding her rhythm and a surface she likes,” Brown said. “If she goes to Churchill and really likes it, who knows?”

Danny Gargan was thrilled with the runner-up finish by Divine Grey, a filly he claimed for $16,000 in May 2017 who has now won four stakes and is Grade 1 placed.

“I think today was the best race of her life,” Gargan said. “She’s 4; if she can take a dimension where she can sit off of it I think we’re going to end up winning a big race at one stage with her.”

Gargan said he would likely not point Divine Miss Grey to a Breeders’ Cup race. A race such as the Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap at Aqueduct on Dec. 1 is more likely.