Dad’s Cap installed as 5-2
favorite in De Francis Dash
Ten sprinters have been entered in Saturday’s 23rd running of the $350,000
Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park, including local star Ben’s
Cat.
Introduced in 1990, the six-furlong De Francis Dash has featured some notable
performers in its 22-year history, with four winners — Housebuster (1991),
Cherokee Run (1994), Smoke Glacken (1997) and Thor’s Echo (2006) — earning
Eclipse Award honors for champion sprinter.
The Fall Festival of Racing card also features five $100,000 stakes races.
Total purses for the nine-race program are $981,000 making it the fourth biggest
on the Maryland racing calendar this year, trailing only the Preakness ($2.85
million), Black-Eyed Susan ($1.6 million) and Maryland Million ($1 million)
cards.
Although he is famous for being one of the top turf sprinters in the country,
Ben’s Cat (8-1 morning line) is no slouch on the main track with 10 victories in
14 tries, including five stakes wins, and is six-for-seven at the De Francis
distance. Overall, the King Leatherbury homebred is 27-of-44 lifetime for
earnings of $2,200,990.
“I was reluctant to enter and am not sure we will run because there are some
really tough horses in here,” Leatherbury said. “I have the option of running
him in the Fabulous Strike at Penn National in a couple weeks. He has done some
good things on the dirt but there are too many good horses in here who are
faster. The race came up really tough and it is supposed to. There are only so
many big races for sprinters.”
Julian Pimentel is named to ride Ben’s Cat and Dads Caps, the 5-2 favorite on
Maryland Jockey Club handicapper Keith Feustle’s morning line.
Dads Caps won the Grade 1 Carter H. in April and has runner-up finishes in
three graded races this year — the Toboggan, Tom Fool and Vosburgh Invitational
for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.
“He looks like he is coming into the race in good shape,” Rodriguez said. “We
were hoping to space him out a little bit after Saratoga (second place finish in
the Troy Stakes) but we gave him a shot and he ran well in the Vosburgh. Since
we got him he hasn’t done much wrong. Every time we run him, he shows up. There
is a lot of speed in this race. I am going to let Julian decide what to do and
get him in a good spot. Hopefully he’ll be good enough.”
Happy My Way (7-2) has finished first or second in five of six races this
year, including a score in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint H. at Pimlico on the
Preakness undercard. Sixth most recently in the Vosburgh Invitational, the Joe
Orseno trainee had produced six straight triple-digit BRIS Speed ratings before
his last effort. Joe Bravo retains the mount on the son of Wilko.
“I think you can draw a line through the Vosburgh,” Orseno said. “He is
coming into this race in great shape and we are looking forward to it. We have
had this on our schedule for a long time. I tried to get him to do other things
earlier in his career because of his pedigree but this year I decided to make
him a sprinter and he has responded. He got really good for us.”
Bern Identity (9-2) won three stakes races during a 35-day period this summer
for trainer Kelly Breen, including the Dave’s Friend at Laurel on September 6,
before placing third in the Phoenix at Keeneland last month. Favorite Tale (6-1)
has won five-of-10 races during his three-year-old campaign, including the
Gallant Bob at Parx in September. John Bisono will ride for trainer Guadalupe
Preciado.
Mico Margarita (6-1), who exits an unplaced effort in the Breeders’ Cup
Sprint, will be making his 10th start of the season at eight different tracks in
eight different states. La Verdad (12-1) has six stakes victories in 10 starts
this year, including the Distaff H. in April, and finished second in the Barbara
Fritchie H. at Laurel in February. D. Wayne Lukas is sending Zee Bros (15-1)
from his Churchill Downs base. Trainer Damon Dilodovico, who won the 2013 De
Francis Dash with Immortal Eyes, will saddle Smash and Grab (20-1). Heaven’s
Runway (30-1) has one victory in eight races this year.
The other stakes on Saturday’s program are the
Smart Halo,
James
Lewis,
City Of
Laurel,
Safely
Kept and
Richard
Small.
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