ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Jeremiah Englehart always felt Pat On the Back was a graded stakes horse and now he has the documentation to prove it.
Pat On the Back won his first graded stakes Saturday when he outfinished Prince Lucky to take the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap by a half-length. He ran a mile in 1:33.97 and earned a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure.
“To me, he’s been a graded stakes horse because I know what he puts into his races,” Englehart said. “It’s nice to get that graded stakes under his belt.”