Photo:

Santa Anita / Benoit Photo

Katonah made it a successful start to his 6-year-old season
Saturday with a last-to-first rally under Tiago Pereira to win the Grade 2,
$200,000 San Pasqual Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita.

Owned by R3 Racing and trained by Doug O’Neill, Katonah (5-1) found himself well behind
the rest of the field early as Midnight Mammoth (23-1), favorite Imagination
(3-5) and Tarantino (3-1) vied for the early lead. The trio volleyed on the
lead through fractions of 22.10, 45.84 and 1:10.71 for six furlongs. Katonah
gradually made up ground up the backstretch and around the second turn to draw
into contention.

Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.

Express Train (6-1) launched a rally of his own under Héctor
Berrios and had ranged up to the leaders. Express Train got to first place in
the stretch, but Katonah swept down the outside, surged to the front and won
going away by two lengths.

“One short move is better for this horse,” Pereira said. “I saw the form, and
there were a few horses with speed. I didn’t care if I was six lengths, eight
lengths behind. I needed the horse to take the bridle and let him tell me right
now, let’s go. When he got to the stretch and took off, I thought I’m going to
win today.”

Katonah won with a time of 1:51.36. Express Train finished second, Tarantino in
third, Imagination fourth, American Admiral (13-1) fifth and Midnight Mammoth sixth.

The race was marred what proved to be the fatal breakdown of Don’t Fight the Fed (45-1). Racing sixth in the field of seven older horses, the 5-year-old Nyquist horse owned by Reddam Racing and trained by Antonio Garcia “sustained an injury at the three-eighths pole,” according to the Equibase chart. He subsequently was reported by FanDuel TV to have been euthanized. Jockey Mario Gutiérrez said he had knee pain and was taken to a nearby hospital.

For Katonah the win was his first since July 2023 when taking the Pleasanton
Mile. He made five starts in graded stakes last year with his best finish being
a runner-up in the San Diego Handicap (G2) under Pereira.

Most recently Katonah added blinkers for the Laffit Pincay Jr. (G2) on Dec. 26
at Santa Anita and checked in sixth. The blinkers were removed Saturday.

“He’s just a hard-knocking horse and tries hard every time,” said Shane O’Neill,
nephew of the winning trainer who was not at the track Saturday. “He closed
decently after that pace, and we’re all really happy.”

Katonah improved to 17: 5-3-2 with $481,180 in earnings.

The San Pasqual serves as a prep for the $300,000 Santa
Anita Handicap (G1) on March 1. O’Neill also trains Pincay winner J B Strike
Back, another candidate for the 1 1/4-mile Big ’Cap.

Katonah paid $13.40, $6.60 and $3.60. Express Train, trained by John Shirreffs,
returned $6.20 and $3.60. Tarantino, with Edwin Maldonado up for trainer Peter
Eurton, paid $3.60 to show.