Andthewinneris Oscar Worthy in Bourbon Stakes
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Andthewinneris wins the Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland
Standing in the warm afternoon sun Oct. 9 at Keeneland after winning the Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2T) with her homebred Andthewinneris , Susan Moulton could not help but reflect on the events that led to that moment.
The San Antonio native grew up on a ranch surrounded by racing, with her father often running horses in Texas and Louisiana. She went on to work in the business in both riding and sales.
Tragedy struck in 2007 when Moulton lost her 8-year-old son, Will, after a car accident during a family trip to Hawaii. The loss halted her involvement with horses.
"I was out of it for a while when my little boy was killed in 2007," Moulton said. "We used to be pinhookers, we would gallop at Retama (Park), and we'd come and buy cheap horses up here and take them back and break them and train them and bring them to the 2-year-old training sales. I got out of all that when Will died."
Moulton said she credits Wayne Catalano, who trains the 2-year-old son of Oscar Performance , for helping her find her footing in the industry again.
"It's actually Wayne who brought me back into the game. I came with some of my girlfriends, Michelle Lovell, we used to gallop together at Retama. We came up for the weekend and I met Wayne and by then my life had changed a bit," Moulton said.
"I said, 'I miss this and I want to be on the other end, I want to be an owner now.'... We've had a few along the way, but it's always Wayne who brings me to the Breeders' Cup."
Besides becoming the first stakes winner for his sire, Andthewinneris earned an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at the same track Nov. 4.
Susan Moulton and trainer Wayne Catalano (R) lead Andthewinneris into the winners circle
Under Flavien Prat, the colt ran ninth through fractions of :22.34 and :45.81, with Panama leading the charge early on and Deer District in second. After the 12-horse field approached the final turn in 1:10.89, it was a mad dash down the stretch. Panama fought to keep his frontrunning position but could not hold and fell away, with Really Good and Rarified Flair making their own bids to forge ahead.
Carving his own path away from the pack was Andthewinneris, who swept past on the outside to move into second. He took the lead inside the eighth pole and passed the wire in 1:41.27 with 2 3/4 lengths to spare while setting a course record. Deer District held on for second and Really Good got up to take third.
Andthewinneris paid $10.18 and improved his record to 2-0-2 from four starts. His earnings increased to $282,243.
Catalano said he felt the colt would have a good chance in the weeks leading up to the race.
"He was training great. I loved the way this horse was doing," Catalano said. "The race at the Saratoga track going two turns, it set us up perfect. I thought, 'You know what? We can win this race the way this horse is training.'
"It's unbelievable. The Breeders' Cup is very special races and I'm happy to be participating in a couple of them this year."
Moulton bred Andthewinneris from the Scat Daddy mare Run Like the Boss, who has two winners from three foals to race. She also has a yearling Enticed colt and dropped a Cupid filly this year named Bonne Fille. She was bred back to Raging Bull for 2023.
When asked how she chose the name for the colt, Moulton had a clever response.
"If you think about it at the Oscars, what is the moment where everybody is on the edge of their seats? 'The nominees are...and the winner is,' " Moulton said.
"He was meant to be sold. I have my farm and mares. We breed to sell, and if we don't get them sold, then we race, and this is what happens when you race. This is what happens when you don't buy our horses."