Daring Kathy Still on Fence for Out-of-Town Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Wildcat Red breezed five furlongs at Gulfstream Park Sunday in preparation for a scheduled start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) at Monmouth Park on July 27.



“He was a monster today,” said trainer Jose Garoffalo, whose 3-year-old trainee was timed in 59 4/5 seconds. “He did it easily – no big effort. He galloped out very good. Actually, when he was galloping out, he felt some horses that were breezing behind him and he heard the bell at the starting gate, and at the seven-eighths pole, he wanted to go again.”

The breeze was Wildcat Red’s first since his 10 ¼-length victory in the $75,000 Quality Road Stakes at Gulfstream on June 28.

Gulfstream Park’s leading rider Edgard Zayas was aboard for Sunday’s breeze. Luis Saez, who rode the son of D’wildcat in the Quality Road and the Fountain of Youth, has the mount for the Haskell.

Wildcat Red had finished first or second in his first seven races, all at Gulfstream, before finishing a very troubled 18th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The Honors Stable Corp.’s colt bounced back to romp in the Quality Road over his home track.

“I’m very happy. First of all, he came back good from the Derby. He overcame all the problems he had in the Derby. He’s sound. He survived that race. A lot of horses don’t,” Garoffalo said. “He now is a bigger horse, stronger than he was a couple of months ago. Mentally, he has grown as a racehorse.”

Wildcat Red is scheduled to depart Gulfstream by van Monday at noon with a scheduled arrival at Monmouth Tuesday morning.

“I’ll breeze him at Monmouth next Sunday – but nothing too serious,” said Garoffalo, whose colt had prepped for the Kentucky Derby with a close second behind Constitution in the $1 million Besilu Stables Florida Derby (G1) on March 29.

Daring Kathy Still on Fence for Out-of-Town Stakes

Rising turf star Daring Kathy is definitely heading out of town for her next start, but trainer David Fawkes and the 3-year-old filly’s owners still haven’t decided where she will seek her third straight stakes victory.

The daughter of Wildcat Heir is expected to run next in either the $200,000 Indiana Grand Stakes, a mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Indiana Grand, or the $200,000 Lake George (G2), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for sophomore fillies at Saratoga. Both stakes are scheduled for Wed. July 23.

“We haven’t decided yet. We’re going to sit down and look over the nominations before we make a decision,” Fawkes said.

Daring Kathy, who broke her maiden on dirt at Gulfstream in January, is undefeated in three starts on turf, all at Gulfstream. After capturing an entry-level allowance on the Florida Derby undercard, the Florida-bred filly captured the Honey Ryder Stakes by 3 ¾ lengths on May 10 and the Starfish Bay by 5 ½ lengths on June 15.

“She’s been doing super since her last race,” Fawkes said. “She’s grown. She couldn’t be doing better.”

Fawkes also is planning to send Bahamian Squall to Saratoga, where the veteran sprinter finished second in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) last summer.