Cataleya Strike romps upset of favs Film Star and Speedyness. (Jim McCue/TMJC)
Dan Illman/Laurel Park
LAUREL, Md. – A fast pace, a wet track that played to outside closers, and the 1 1/8-mile distance all played into Cataleya Strike’s hooves, and the gelding roared from off the pace to down a game Speedyness in the Native Dancer Stakes for 4-year-olds and upward.
On paper, the Native Dancer featured the rematch between Film Star and Speedyness, the one-two finishers in Laurel’s Robert T. Manfuso Stakes here on Dec. 21. In that race, those two controlled the pace with Cataleya Strike finishing a non-threatening fifth after attempting to rally from 12 lengths back.
Speedyness, the expected speed, broke sharp to make the lead, but Film Star was also placed on a hard send going into the first turn. They battled through quick fractions of 23.89 and 47.76 with Speedyness eventually getting the better of Film Star after six furlongs in 1:12.71.
Speedyness emerged with the lead turning for home, but jockey Jevian Toledo had Cataleya Strike rolling on the outside. Following a late lead change, Cataleya Strike rolled by the pacesetter to score by 2 ¾ lengths in 1:52.99.
Curlin’s Malibu rallied outside for third to finish 5 ½ lengths behind favored Speedyness. Then came a tired Film Star and Feeling Woozy. Armando R scratched.
“I had a beautiful trip,” Toledo said. “The horses with speed set up the race for him. He always closes, he always tries. Today, the speed favored him. They went head-to-head. Coming to the second turn, I came on the inside to save a little ground. Then, in the stretch, I got the sense to take him out. When he saw the daylight, he just took off.”
Toledo felt that the tiring nature of the wet track helped Cataleya Strike.
“It’s a little bit [tighter] on the outside, and it’s helping the closers,” Toledo observed.
Cataleya Strike’s trainer, Rudy Sanchez-Salomon was convinced to enter Cataleya Strike after a five-bullet bullet workout on March 26.
He worked really nice and galloped out strong,” Sanchez-Salomon said earlier in the week. “Actually, that’s the reason that I put him in the stake.”
Cataleya Strike came into the Native Dancer following a high-level allowance win at Laurel on February 28. That race was the first time he teamed up with Toledo, and Sanchez-Salomon was full of praise for the rider.
“The best thing is when you get the right jockey, especially with this horse because he is a little lazy,” Sanchez-Salomon remarked. “If you don’t check him or grab him, he’s fine. If you grab him a little bit, you lose momentum.”
Bred in Kentucky by Erik Johnson, Cataleya Strike is by Catalina Cruiser. He sold for $20,000 as a weanling before being bought back for that price as an April juvenile.
The Native Dancer was Cataleya Strike’s first stakes score. He has won five of 17 starts for $230,430 in earnings for J R Sanchez Racing Stable.
