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Sensible Cat Pounces On California-Bred Foes In Soviet Problem

Sensible Cat provided trainer Carla Gaines with her first stakes win at Los Alamitos with a come-from-behind victory in the $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes on Saturday.

A little more than five weeks after breaking her maiden at eight furlongs on the Del Mar turf course in her second career start, the 2-year-old daughter of Bluegrass Cat demonstrated Saturday she is equally adept on dirt at the Cypress, Calif., track.

Owned by Irvin Racing Stable and ridden by Juan Hernandez, Sensible Cat, the 9-2 fourth choice in the field of 10 California bred or sired fillies, was reserved off the early pace, rallied outside in the stretch, collared 5-2 favorite Dylans Wild Cat inside the eighth pole and went on to score by 1 ¾ lengths.

Out of the Street Sense mare Sensible Girl, Sensible Cat completed the mile in 1:37.94. She paid $11, $6.20 and $3.60 while increasing her earnings to $89,700.

“I thought it was tremendous,'' said Gaines. “We thought right away she was going to be a horse that wanted two turns. She had some mucus and was coughing this summer at Del Mar, so we missed getting her in a long race there, so we sprinted her once (a sixth-place finish Sept. 7) to get her some experience.

“We couldn't wait to get her going two turns and she responded (a turf victory Nov. 6 at Del Mar). It's nice to know we have the option of grass or dirt with her.''

The stakes success was the second in a span of six days for Hernandez, who used similar off-the-pace tactics to win the Grade 3 Bayakoa with Proud Emma Dec. 6.

“(Gaines) had me watch the replay of her last race and said to ride her that way,'' said Hernandez, the leading rider through the first six days of the meet with eight victories. “She broke well and I wanted to sit off the leaders.

“I wasn't sure if she was going to go by early in the stretch, but when I switched and hit her left-handed, she really responded.''

Governor Goteven, the second choice at 3-1, outfinished Dylans Wild Cat by a half-length for the place. She paid $5.00 and $3.60 while the show price on Dylans Wild Cat was $2.80.

I'm So Anna, Super Game, pacesetter Mucha Woman, Will Take a Kiss, Miss Glorious, Westward Breeze and Love Wins completed the order of finish.

Racing resumes Sunday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 12:30 p.m. Pacific.

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Largent Helps Pletcher Bag Fourth Win Of Day In Ft. Lauderdale

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Largent put an exclamation point on a four-win afternoon for trainer Todd Pletcher, punching his ticket to next month's $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) with a come-from-behind victory in Saturday's $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 64th running of the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale for 3-year-olds and up on the grass was the headliner on an 11-race program featuring five stakes, four graded, worth $575,000 in purses including the $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), a prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 23, won by Tax.

With Paco Lopez aboard for the first time, Largent ($35.80) swept to the lead on the far outside approaching the stretch and outran fellow longshots Breaking the Rules and Doswell late to win by two lengths in 1:46.16 over turf course rated good.

Since the Pegasus Turf was inaugurated in 2019, the Fort Lauderdale was moved from early January to mid-December to serve as the local stepping-stone to the Pegasus Day event. Eight of the 10 horses in Saturday's field were stakes winners, six of them in graded company led by millionaire favorite Factor This.

“Very salty field, indeed, and very fast fractions,” Pletcher said. “[Largent] is a horse that's generally laying up close. I just told Paco, 'It looks like there's a lot of pace, just try to sit in the pocket,' and he delivered a very good ride.”

“One thing is, he's always loved Gulfstream. He's always run very well here and we just felt like it was the right time to step up,” he added. “He'd been training great and it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot.”

It was the third career stakes win and first in graded company for Largent, who captured a pair of Virginia-bred stakes earlier this year at Colonial Downs and Laurel Park. The 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding has now won four of his five starts at Gulfstream, with one second.

“He's always run well here and he's a horse that has shown some talent. This was definitely his toughest task to date but he showed that he likes it here and delivered a big performance,” Pletcher said. “I think he certainly ran well enough today to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we'd love to do.”

Lopez settled Largent in mid-pack as his Pletcher-trained stablemate, Grade 1 winner Halladay, and Factor This battled dueled on the front end through fractions of 23.22 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.34 for the half, going six furlongs in 1:09.62. Lopez tipped outside after saving ground early and powered through the stretch to cruise past the tiring leaders.

“[Pletcher] said, 'Paco, there's a lot of speed, four or five horses. Just go behind them and relax. Figure out where you are and ride your race,'” Lopez said. “He broke well, he came back and he was very comfortable. We came around horses at the top of the stretch and went on.”

Doswell, a winner of his previous two races, came up the rail to edge Breaking the Rules for second. They were followed by graded winners Spooky Channel and Channel Cat, Tide of the Sea, Halladay, Factor This, multiple graded-stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown and French Group 3 winner Delaware.

“There was a little bit of cut [in the ground] and they were certainly going fast enough. The key was that [Largent] was able to settle and relax early on and that allowed him to deliver a big closing kick,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately for Halladay there was so much pace in today's race. We didn't want to take away his weapon, but at the same time he was probably doing a little too much early on.”

Pletcher was the trainer of Channel Cat when he ran 10th of 12 in the most recent edition of the Pegasus Turf, won in an upset by Zulu Alpha.

“With Largent, I think he certainly earned his way in and with Halladay, we'll assess how he comes out of it,” Pletcher said. “We'll get them home and evaluate both of them but we'll just kind of play it by ear with Halladay.”

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Tax Returns With a Vengeance In Harlan’s Holiday; Pegasus World Cup Next?

R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Hugh Lynch's Tax returned to winning form in Saturday's $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), scoring a dominating 4 ½ -length victory while stamping himself as a prime candidate for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, was one of five stakes on Saturday's program, which was headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1).

Tax, a prominent player on the 2019 Road to the Triple Crown, had been winless since capturing the 2019 Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga until he broke through with a dazzling front-running score Saturday that threatened the track record for 1 1/16 miles.

“We have really, really been high on him. We really thought he'd run big at Keeneland but he got sick on us and caused him to miss the race. I got really depressed about it because I was waiting to run him. Today, he showed up,” Gargan said. “I think this will be his best year. He's grown, developed. He's sound. He's bigger, stronger than he's ever been. I couldn't be happier with him today.”

Unraced since finishing fifth in the May 2 Oaklawn Handicap – his only start since finishing off-the-board in last year's Pegasus World Cup – Tax went right to the front under jockey Luis Saez after breaking from the No. 1 post position and was never threatened thereafter. The 4-year-old gelded son of Arch completed 1 1/16-miles in 1:41.15 while being under wraps for the final sixteenth of a mile, missing Social Inclusion's 2014 track record of 1:40.96 by less than a fifth of a second.

“I could feel that he was doing great. He was ready. He was pretty focused in the gate and he broke so sharp. He took the lead and controlled the pace and at the five-eighths, I felt like I had a lot of horse,” Saez said. “When we came to the stretch and he changed leads, he took off. He was very comfortable the whole way. I knew I had a lot of horse. We were just saving him for the next time. I could feel that we were going fast, but he was so comfortable. He loves to run, and we let him run.”

Next time could quite likely come in the Pegasus World Cup, in which he stumbled at the start and wasn't able to recover last year.

“I'll have to talk to Dean [Reeves] and Randy [Hill] and Hugh Lynch,” Gargan said. “I'm blessed that they're been so patient. He's only run two times this year. We turned him out and had a couple of misfortunes that we didn't get to run. Having great owners like those guys really helps you develop a horse into a good horse.”

Eye of a Jedi closed from far back to finish second under Marcos Meneses, a half-length ahead of 2-1 favorite Phat Man, who stalked the early pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. but was unable to mount a serious challenge.

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Bankit Ends Win Drought, Defeats Mr. Buff In Alex M. Robb

Bankit posted a slew of close efforts in the 17 months since his previous win. But Saturday, the 4-year-old son of Central Banker left no doubt, overtaking Mr. Buff at the top of the stretch and cruising to a 4 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Alex M. Robb for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, Bankit registered his first win in 14 starts – in a span that encompassed five runner-up finishes – outkicking two-time defending Alex M. Robb winner Mr. Buff for his first score since the New York Derby in July 2019 at Finger Lakes.

Bankit, a last-out third-place finisher in the NYSSS Thunder Rumble on November 22 at the Big A, tracked in fourth position as Sea Foam led the six-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.16 seconds and the half in 48.47 on the fast main track amid foggy conditions.

Jockey Jose Lezcano tipped Bankit out approaching the far turn, moving up to third. When straightened for home, Bankit found an extra gear from the outside, easily overtaking Sea Foam before running eye-to-eye and then passing 6-5 favorite Mr. Buff, completing the 1 1/8-mile course in a final time of 1:51.59.

“I watched a couple replays and it looked like sometimes he hangs a little bit,” Lezcano said. “Today, he broke well and I had him behind the two horses I thought we had to beat. When I asked him, he gave me everything he got.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Bankit turned the tables on Mr. Buff, reversing the order of the 1-2 finish in the Empire Classic on October 24 at Belmont going the same distance.

Off at 5-2, Bankit, bred by Hidden Brook Farm and Blue Devil Racing, returned $7.70 on a $2 win bet. He improved his career bankroll to $816,675.

“He had a nice pace set up and Jose [Lezcano] put him in a good spot. He got good position and ran a good race,” said Toby Sheets, assistant to Asmussen.

Chester and Mary Broman's Mr. Buff, wheeled back exactly one week after running fifth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, came up short in his bid for three straight Alex M. Robb victories for trainer John Kimmel but ran three lengths clear of Yankee Division for second.

Sea Foam, Danny California and City Man, who broke through the gate before being reloaded, completed the order of finish.

“My horse broke bad because the horse inside [City Man] acted up a little and broke through the gate,” said jockey Kendrick Carmouche, aboard Mr. Buff. “He got a little fussy in there and broke a step slow, but I got him to where I wanted to have him in the race. He ran hard. He tried his best. I think if he hadn't ran seven days ago, it would be a different outcome, but congratulations to the winner.”

Live racing will resume on Sunday at Aqueduct with a nine-race card featuring the $100,000 Bay Ridge, a nine-furlong test for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. First-race post time is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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