WinStar Farm and Gulf Coast Farms’ homebred COWTOWN CAT (Distorted Humor)
broke on top and was never headed en route to an impressive 2 1/4-length tally
in the 50th running of the $500,000
Illinois Derby (G2) at Hawthorne on Saturday. Sent to the front
by Fernando Jara, the talented sophomore carved out splits of :24 4/5, :49 2/5,
1:13 2/5 and 1:38 2/5 for the opening mile, prior to completing the nine
furlongs in 1:51 1/5 over the fast oval. The Todd Pletcher charge gave back $9,
$5.20 and $4.60 as the 7-2 second choice, and keyed the $117.20 exacta, $513.40
trifecta and $1,040.50 (4-3-2-1) superfecta ($1).
“I didn’t expect (to have the early lead), but there was not a lot of early
speed,” assistant trainer Seth Benzel said. “I told Fernando to try and break
well and place him forwardly. Fernando rode him perfectly. I think this colt is
right there with the best of Todd’s three-year-olds.”
Reporting for Duty (Deputy Commander) raced near the inside in midpack before
coming out into the lane to finish three parts of a length clear in second at
24-1. The chestnut paid $16.20 and $7.40. Bold Start (Jump Start) was next, 3
3/4 lengths clear of fourth as the 4-1 third choice. Show was worth $4.60.
Sacrifice Bunt (Storm Cat) completed the superfecta at nearly 13-1 and was
followed by Catman Running (Tactical Cat), Quite Acceptable (Acceptable),
even-money choice Cobalt Blue (Golden Missile), Family Talk (Talk Is Money) and
Love Dubai (E Dubai).
“He was spinning his wheels out there,” Cobalt Blue’s rider Victor Espinoza
said.
Cowtown Cat captured his second graded race in succession, following a score
in the Gotham S. (G3) most recently. The chestnut boasts a career mark of
7-4-0-1, $488,463, including a third-place effort in the Swale S. (G2) two prior.
The Kentucky-bred attracted a bid of $1.5 million at the 2006 Barretts March
Two-Year-Olds in Training sale. He is the first registered foal out of the winning Tom’s
Cat (Storm Cat), and has an unnamed two-year-old half-sister by El Corredor, as
well as an unnamed yearling half-brother by Proud Citizen.