The Catapult Stakes
This week’s feature race in the District of Columbia is THE CATAPULT STAKES, named in honor of a talented horse who won a stakes race at three against his elders and crossed the wire first many times for his owner Lawnlover. Four two-year-olds will race six furlongs for a purse of $40,000. The track is fast. 1 – Congruence (8/1) began his racing career with a victory in a Maiden Special Weight in late February. Although he won by a comfortable margin, his speed figure of 72 is not as impressive as the numbers achieved by two of his toughest rivals here. Of even greater concern is the fact that he struggled against allowance company in his next start, finishing sixth. 2 – Favorite Music City Prayer (3/5) made his debut for owner/trainer Zoz a winning one. His speed figure of 83 is the highest in the race. 3 – Ransom Dancin (IRE) (6/1) may be worth a look in this spot. Although his speed figures seem subpar compared to the first and second choices in the race, he started his career earlier than them (mid-February) and ran his first race on turf. He improved considerably when winning an allowance race on dirt in late March. Whether the progress is due to the surface switch, maturation, or a combination of both, it bodes well for this colt’s chances. He also has the services of D.C.’s top rider, L. Jenkins, who is winning almost twice as often this year as his nearest rival. 4 – Second-choice Racing Form (7/5) was ambitiously placed against winners in his first start, but rewarded the faith of his owner/trainer Paddy by securing a win against more experienced rivals. His speed figure from that race, 81, is just a step behind Music City Prayer‘s 83. Music City Prayer and Racing Form seem the obvious choices here, but anyone who wants the lead out of the gate may have to fight for it. All four horses in the race have won by going wire to wire, and none have yet demonstrated the ability to rate. Whoever can do that might have the key to this race.