Doubledown Stables’ BELMONT CAT (NZ) (Felix the Cat) split rivals in the
stretch of Sunday’s $150,000
Santa
Ana H. (G2) at Santa Anita and just held by a head on the wire to earn her
first graded victory. With Joel Rosario aboard, the John Sadler-trained
five-year-old finished up 1 1/8 miles on the good turf in 1:48 3/5.
Belmont Cat was content to stalk in third along the rail as In My Glory
(Honour and Glory) set the pace through splits of :23 3/5, :48 1/5, 1:12 3/5 and
1:36 4/5. Angling out rounding the turn, she challenged from in between rivals
while running down the lane. Gaining a slight advantage, the eventual winner was
all out to hold off the late rush of Bel Air Sizzle (Unusual Heat) by a head.
Visit (GB) (Oasis Dream [GB]) filled the third spot, a neck behind second while
a head in front of Satan’s Circus (Gone West) in fourth.
Sent off the 9-1 fifth pick, Belmont Cat paid $20.40, $9.20 and $3.80 to her
faithful backers. Bel Air Sizzle was worth $6 and $3 as the 6-1 fourth choice and
ended the $58.30 exacta ($1). Visit, the 3-5 favorite, gave back $2.20 while
concluding the $152.70 trifecta ($1). Satan’s Circus rounded out the $451.50
superfecta (7-1-6-8) ($1). In My Glory fell back to fifth and was followed under
the wire by Sharp Susan (Touch Gold) and Exquisite (NZ) (Golan [Ire]) after Eissoai (Brz) (Roi Normand) was withdrawn. Sadler also scratched Dawn After Dawn
(Successful Appeal), indicating that she would likely show up in the Las
Cienegas H. (G3) on April 12.
Belmont Cat broke her maiden in her third career start, taking a six-furlong
maiden event at Riccarton in her native New Zealand last February. She went on
to finish second in the Otago Breeders’ S. and N.Z. Bloodstock Air Freight S.
before finally earning her first black-type score with a 4 1/2-length victory in
the Warstep S. She wasn’t seen in competition again until December, when she
reappeared to make her U.S. debut a winning one under Sadler’s tutelage.
Following that allowance victory, Belmont Cat made her five-year-old bow a
fifth-place effort in the San Gorgonio H. (G2). With the winner’s share from the
Santa Ana, the chestnut has now earned $156,526 from a 10-4-2-0 career mark.
Bred in New Zealand by Mrs. B. & J.E. Thompson, Belmont Cat is out of
multiple listed-placed Morgan Glory (Justice Prevails), who is a half-sister to
1996 New Zealand champion two-year-old Lodore Magic (Kingdom Bay) and Group 3
winner Morgan Bay (Kingdom Bay). Lodore Magic is herself the dam of Australian
Group 2 victor Sonic Quest (Quest for Fame [GB]).