In 2015, Catalina Cruiser was sold at Keeneland in September. He was bred by legend and Lane’s End owner William S Farish, who owned the dam, Sea Gull. She was purchased for $270,000 by Farish, and was bred by John Oxley. I think the reason why Farish bought was because the sire of seagull was 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. His ½ brother Eagle made $754,186, and was a graded stakes winner. Catalina Cruiser’s sire, Union Rags, was a Belmont Stakes winner, and his offspring have run well at all distances.
He debuted in October 2017, facing a mediocre field as a 3 year old. That tells me that they waited till they could find a weak field of horses that just couldn’t win. In that debut, he broke slowly, was 4-wide into the lane and won by 2 1/2 lengths at 7/2. Immediately, it shows me this horse had problems making it to the track. I’m not saying that was a bad thing, but it’s just my first indicator seeing that.
He made his second start in May, as a 4-year-old. Facing allowance company, he was off slowly again, went to the lead, and drew away by 2 and a quarter lengths. In start three, the San Diego Handicap, it’s time to show what you’re made of. It was his first stakes race, and the first time you he was going around two turns. Either you win, and you go on to bigger and better things or say he’s not the horse that we thought he was. He performed like a champ when winning by 6 3/4 lengths but beating a 5 horse field.
Last start in late August, in the Pat O’Brien Stakes, also, it was a four-horse field. Catalina Cruiser crushed them at 1/5. However, that wasn’t really a four-horse field, it was a double match race: Catalina Cruiser vs. Battle Of Midway (the first real test for the former) and then Voricity vs. Threefiveindia. Catalina Cruiser stalked behind Threefiveindia and just blew his doors off.
Those are the facts, now it’s time for the opinions on why I’m selling him I don’t think he’s ready for this being lightly raced and each time facing weak fields. The horse I like in the Dirt Mile is City of Light. He is the only horse to beat Accelerate all year, and he did that while going wide and coming from behind Accelerate, and he fought with him down the stretch. He might not be the same horse, getting beat the last two times and earning the lowest speed figures since his first ever race, but it will make him a price especially against Catalina Cruiser. Even though he was in the four path at Oaklawn, he still ran a faster time than Catalina Cruiser at Del Mar on the rail! You still have to use Cruiser, but this is one race I can say to sell on the Cruiser and buy up the Light!
(And after Breeders Cup when Catalina Cruises in the Dirt Mile, you can blame me for selling on him in this article and write mean things to me!) Thank you for reading and best of luck on Breeders Cup day!