A huge h/t to my horse-loving sister, Karen, who spotted this item:
It remains to be seen if Catholic Boy prefers turf or dirt, but trainer Jonathan Thomas is surely confident of something the 2-year-old son of More Than Ready relishes. As far as distance goes, it’s the more the merrier for owner Robert LaPenta’s juvenile colt.
Tested on dirt and the 1 1/8-mile trip for the first time, Catholic Boy handled the surface switch with aplomb Dec. 2 as he surged to a decisive 4 3/4-length victory in the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2), as his connections’ favorite color switched from the green of turf to the brown of Aqueduct Racetrack‘s main track.
“We came over quietly confident he would show us a little something, but we never expected that,” Thomas said.
Catholic Boy’s first three starts came on turf and he was pleasantly successful, winning the With Anticipation Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course and finishing a close fourth at a mile in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), when he rallied from ninth to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind the victorious Mendelssohn at Del Mar.
“He galloped out well at the Breeders’ Cup, which indicated to us he wants some more ground. The day after the race, he was very lively and looked like he exited it well,” said Thomas, who added Catholic Boy was originally tested on grass because of a lack of route races on dirt. “I hate to say it, but the Breeders’ Cup acted like a prep for us.”
And you can see him in action in the video above.
