Catholic Boy on Course for Kelso Handicap

Six-time graded stakes-winner Catholic Boy came out of his Sept. 7 breeze in good order and is slated to make his next start in the Sept. 21 Kelso Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park, trainer Jonathan Thomas said Sept. 8.

The 4-year-old son of More Than Ready , who has won grade 1 stakes on both turf and dirt, including the 2018 Runhappy Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, breezed five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 on Belmont's dirt training track Saturday and remains on target to race for the first time since finishing second in the July 6 Suburban Stakes (G2) on Big Sandy.

Catholic Boy completed the workout with regular jockey Javier Castellano aboard and wearing blinkers. He had three works at Saratoga Race Course in August before Thomas decided to skip the Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and instead look to the fall meet.

"We were really pleased with his breeze yesterday and it looked like he came out of it well," Thomas said. "The Kelso is certainly a target that we're going to go after."

The 39th running of the Kelso is a one-turn mile on the main track, and it will be the first time Catholic Boy has run at the distance since finishing fourth in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.

Thomas cited the Kelso's timing, which would also keep open the possibility of running in the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) or the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park.

"We felt the timing of the race was good for where we are in the training," Thomas said. "It's also in our backyard and it makes sense to try it."