LAUREL, MD. (AP) — Ben’s Cat beat Steady Warrior by a length in the $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint on Saturday, winning the race for the second straight year and making a case for a Breeder’s Cup berth.
Ridden by Jeremy Rose, Ben’s Cat finished the 5 1/2 furlong race for 3-year-olds and up in 1:06.07 to earn $3.00, $2.20 and $2.10. Steady Warrior paid $4.80 and $4.40, while Heaven’s Voice returned $5.20 for finishing 10 lengths back in the field of seven.
Ben’s Cat has won 13 races in 17 starts, and six of eight at Laurel.
Owner and trainer King Leatherbury hopes to raise $100,000 to run Ben’s Cat in the Breeder’s Cup, for which the 5-year-old gelding was not nominated.
The Turf Sprint is one of 11 races in the series for Maryland-bred horses inaugurated in 1986 by broadcaster Jim McKay.
