Ben’s Cat repeats in Fabulous Strike for 19th career stakes win

Ben’s Cat repeats in Fabulous Strike for 19th career stakes
win

Ben’s Cat reeled in Ribo Bobo on a blustery night (B & D Photography) Legendary trainer King Leatherbury, with more than 6,400 wins on his resume, summed it up best after his seven-year-old gelding Ben’s Cat ran down the loose-on-the-lead 4-5 favorite Ribo Bobo to successfully defend his title in Wednesday night’s $250,000 Fabulous Strike Handicap at Penn National and pick up career stakes win number 19. “He is a truly remarkable horse,” marveled Leatherbury, who also bred Ben’s Cat and races him under the name of The Jim Stable. Ribo Bobo, trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Paco Lopez, broke like a rocket from the gate, went straight to the front, and faced little pace pressure through the first four furlongs of the six-furlong Fabulous Strike. Winner of nine consecutive races, Ribo Bobo had a hammerlock on the field heading into the stretch. Jockey Julian Pimentel, regular rider of Ben’s Cat, and the rider of Ribo Bobo in his last race, was not too concerned. “It worked out well for me,” Pimentel said. “The favorite (Ribo Bobo) broke on top and I was in a perfect spot. I moved a little earlier than I would have because speed had been holding up pretty well tonight. Turning for home I had so much horse that when I asked him to go, he went on very well.”  Like a cat stalking and pouncing on his target, Ben’s Cat accelerated through the stretch and overtook his talented rival to win by a measured half-length. The 7-2 third choice, Ben’s Cat returned $9.80 to win to his backers. Good Morning Diva, the second choice at 2-1, finished 3 1/4 lengths behind Ribo Bobo for third place.

The victory improved Ben’s Cat’s scorecard to 37-24-4-3, $1,862,640. He
completed the six furlongs on the good main track in 1:09 3/5.

“It was a very exciting race,” Leatherbury said. “We were hoping some other
horse would have some speed to soften up the favorite (Ribo Bobo), who was
obviously the horse to beat. That didn’t really happen, but my horse always
closes and finishes well so I wasn’t really worried because I thought we were
close enough to the leader coming into the stretch.

“As long as everything goes OK, he will be back next year for the Mister Diz
in the spring at Pimlico to try and win that race five years in a row,” his
breeder/owner/trainer added.

Aside from winning the Mister Diz for the last four years, and the past two
Fabulous Strikes, the Maryland-bred Ben’s Cat is also the reigning two-time
champion of the Parx Dash, and he scored a three-peat in the Maryland Million
Turf Sprint from 2010-12. He is also a two-time winner of the Turf Monster
Handicap (2011-12), Jim McKay Turf Sprint (2011, 2013) and the Laurel Dash
(2011, 2013), and his resume includes single trophies in the 2011 Pennsylvania
Governor’s Cup and the 2010 Find Handicap.

Earlier, Pimentel guided the 3-1 Five Star Momma to a front-running decision
in the $150,000

Lady in Waiting. Trained by Jena Antonucci for Summerwind Farms and Half
Hollow Racing, the four-year-old daughter of Five Star Day opened up early and
gamely repelled 9-5 favorite She’s Ordained by a neck.

“Jena told me to put her on the front and improve my position, so I did
that,” Pimentel recapped. “She came out of the gate pretty fast and when she saw
(She’s Ordained) come up on the outside of her in the stretch, she kept on
digging.”

Five Star Momma negotiated six furlongs in 1:11 3/5 to extend her winning
streak to three, boosting her earnings to $326,713 from her 16-5-3-2 line.
Runner-up in the 2011 Debutante at Churchill, she was third in the August 5
Shine Again at Saratoga before peaking this fall. Five Star Momma crushed a
September 26 allowance at Belmont, and collected her first stakes win in the
November 6 Chip at Aqueduct, in her last pair.

One race later, Clovertowne Farm’s homebred Taptowne romped as an even-money
favorite should in the $150,000
Swatara
at 1 1/16 miles. His task was eased by the scratches of Cigar Mile-bound
Saratoga Snacks and Hawthorne Gold Cup entrant Suns Out Guns Out.

Well recovered from the ill-timed foot bruise that knocked him out of the
Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Taptowne chased the pace three wide before putting his
head in front at the six-furlong mark. The Tapit gelding drew off from there for
Brian Hernandez Jr., crossing the wire 5 1/4 lengths clear in a final time of
1:44.

“He was a little closer to the lead than we would have liked him,” trainer
Tim Glyshaw said, “but it’s to be expected since he was a pretty fresh horse
coming into the race and there wasn’t much pace in the race. He could have gone
to the lead if he wanted to but he doesn’t run his best like that so I thought
Brian gave him a great ride.

“We were in the Breeders’ Cup (Dirt) Mile and got vet scratched because of a
bruised hoof. He was supposed to get a month off after that and get ready for
Oaklawn, but the owners and I decided to come and give him something positive to
go get his rest on, and this does that.”

Taptowne has compiled a mark of 29-7-7-3, $637,799, reflecting three stakes
wins and six stakes placings. His biggest highlights have come this campaign,
with a victory in the August 3 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes and runner-up
efforts in such major events as the Oaklawn, Prairie Meadows Cornhusker and Ack
Ack Handicaps.

The Tony Dutrow-trained Gracer opened the lucrative card with a 3 3/4-length
wire job in the $75,500
Blue
Mountain Juvenile Fillies for Pennsylvania-breds. Adding blinkers in the
wake of her third in the September 29 Matron at Belmont, the 4-5 shot was firmly
in control throughout the six-furlong dash. Joe Rocco Jr. was at the helm as she
stopped the teletimer in 1:11.

“That was what I expected,” Dutrow said. “It looked like she was the speed of
the race. She had been running with better horses, so I was expecting a
performance like that.

“I was thinking on the ride up here that I was just going to give her the
month of December off and figure out what we should do with her from there. She
is now a stakes winner and is graded-stakes placed and it would be fantastic if
she could become a graded stakes winner and that’s what I would be looking for.”

Gracer, who was second to Miss Behaviour in their mutual debut at Parx July
22, came right back to dominate a Saratoga maiden by 6 1/4 lengths. She was
beaten a total of 2 3/4 lengths by Miss Behaviour when third in the Matron, and
her breakthrough advanced her record to 4-2-1-1, $122,000.

Despite having to cancel the card after seven races due to increasingly
strong winds, all-sources handle on the Penn National card was $1,632,837,
eclipsing last year’s Thanksgiving Eve handle of $1,549,406 on nine races.

“It was a tremendous night of racing at Penn National highlighted by a
thrilling victory from one of the most accomplished horses in the country, Ben’s
Cat, and his trainer King Leatherbury, who is one of the true legends of
Thoroughbred racing,” said Dan Silver, director of racing operations at Penn
National.

“The night was possible due to incredible work by Jake Leitzel, our manager
of racetrack maintenance, and his entire team in getting the track in such
terrific shape. Additionally, Dave Bailey, our racing secretary; Craig Lytel,
our stakes coordinator; Jenny Bowman, our assistant racing secretary, and the
entire racing office did a great job of putting together an excellent card.
Thanks also to the horsemen for their strong support of the evening.”

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