Catapult © Benoit Photo
Woodford Racing’s Kentucky-bred Catapult, given a patient ride by Drayden Van Dyke, rallied powerfully in the stretch to overhaul 3-1 favored Sharp Samurai nearing the wire and win the featured Grade II $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes Sunday.
Catapult, a five-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy who had campaigned exclusively on the East Coast until coming to California in the spring, finished a neck in front of Sharp Samurai, the champion three-year-old on the grass at Del Mar last summer after winning the La Jolla Handicap and Del Mar Derby. Gary Stevens was aboard Sharp Samurai.
Third in an outstanding field of turf horses was Prime Attraction, who set the pace and was only a head behind Sharp Samurai at the finish. Fourth was Bowies Hero. Highly-regarded Itsinthepost was ninth, while Hunt, the 2017 Read winner and 3-1 second choice, was a disappointing tenth and last. Withdrawn from the field was Flamboyant.
Catapult, who accomplished the mile and one-eighth on the infield Jimmy Durante Turf Course in a swift 1:46.07, provided Van Dyke and trainer John Sadler with a sweep of the two major stakes this weekend at Del Mar. They combined Saturday to capture the $200,000 San Diego Handicap with Catalina Cruiser.
Overlooked in the wagering, Catapult paid $44, $14.40 and $8.60 while earning first money of $150,000 to swell his lifetime bankroll to $501,384. In his Western debut at Santa Anita June 17, he was second to Sharp Samurai in an allowance race, beaten a length and three-quarters. The victory was Catapult’s fifth in 14 starts. Sharp Samurai paid $4.60 and $4, while third-place Prime Attraction returned $6.60.
In Sunday’s supporting feature, the $83,615 Wickerr Stakes for older horses, 25-1 longshot Double Touch, piloted by Stevens, survived a stewards’ inquiry to win. Double Touch reached the wire a head in front of Bombard, but drifted out in the final sixteenth to brush the runner-up in the final strides.
After viewing videotape of the stretch run, the stewards ruled the contact was minor and did not warrant a disqualification.
Double Touch, owned by Roadrunner Racing, Gold and Smole and trained by Dan Blacker, was timed in 1:33.61 for the mile on grass and paid $60.80, $24.20 and $12. Bombard paid $9.40 and $6.40, while third-place Perfectly Majestic returned $7.20 to show.
DRAYDEN VAN DYKE (Catapult, winner) – “No special instructions from John (trainer Sadler). I could see there wasn’t a whole lot of speed in the race, so I wanted to stay up relatively close. He was in a nice rhythm; moving just like I wanted him to. Then when I wheeled him out, he went. He catapulted me.”
GARY STEVENS (Sharp Samurai, second) – “He was super, super game today. He gave me all he had. The winner was just best this time.”
KENT DESORMEAUX (Prime Attraction, third) – “He’s got a heart of gold. Just has a ton of try in him. If anyone goes back and looks at video of this one, they’ll see a horse literally sticking his neck out trying to win.”
JOHN SADLER (Catapult, winner) – “This is a nice horse. He comes from the East Coast where he had good form last year. The owners gave him a little time off at the end of last year and decided to try him here in California. There’s a lot of good grass opportunities back east, but I think they wanted to send one out here. I had him for at least 60 days before we ran him (June 17) and in that race he was a little rank but he ran a good race against (Sharp Samurai) and was closing well. We thought he’d run a good race today and he did.”
FRACTIONS: :23.75 :47.65 1:11.00 1:34.26 1:46.07
The stakes win was the first in the Eddie Read for rider Van Dyke, but his second at the meet. He now has 13 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first in the Eddie Read for trainer Sadler, but his second of the meet. He now has 61 stakes wins at Del Mar, sixth most all time.
Owner Woodford Racing is W. S. Farrish, Jr. of Versailles, KY.