Catholic Boy, Imperial Hint Look the Part in BC Works

In the handful of months Javier Castellano has been paired with Catholic Boy, the only impression the son of More Than Ready  has made on the Hall of Fame rider is the sense he can do no wrong. 

The bay ridgling pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat in both the Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3T) and Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T). And when he switched back to the main track for the Aug. 25 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), the Jonathan Thomas trainee made the transition look seamless with a four-length triumph over fellow grade 1 winner Mendelssohn .

Less than a week out from Catholic Boy's expected start in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs, Castellano got another burst of confidence from his versatile partner during a strong, five-furlong work in 1:01 flat over the Louisville oval the morning of Oct. 28.

"I really like the way he did it today—very straightforward horse," Castellano said. "It was the way he did it. It was really comfortable. Turf, dirt, rocks—believe me, (surface) doesn't matter to him. And only special horses do that."

Breaking off from the half-mile pole, Catholic Boy and Castellano settled into the work in good order and posted splits of :13, :24 4/5, and :36 4/5 before they galloped out to six furlongs in 1:13 3/5 and seven furlongs in 1:28 1/5. When asked whether he feels a difference between the ridgling's stride on turf compared to dirt, Castellano said the fact there is no noticeable shift only confirms to him the depth of Catholic Boy's class.

"I think the only thing I can tell with him is his mind and his heart. Those are the things that make him special," Castellano said. "He's mature physically and mentally. He's just a good horse who has a lot of skill. He just knows how to handle everything."

In addition to his versatility over turf and dirt, Catholic Boy is also the only Classic hopeful other than Accelerate  to have multiple grade 1 victories at the race's 10-furlong distance.

"He's certainly been a headliner for our stable," Thomas said of the horse who has provided him with his five graded stakes wins. "He's a horse we purchased as a weanling and … as a horseman, it's been fun, because we've been together for a very long time. It means a lot, because there are a lot of different hands that have been on this horse, and everyone has done an exceptional job. I'm proud of the whole circle this horse has taken us on."

Catholic Boy was among several Breeders' Cup contenders who put in their final timed workouts Sunday morning, and he was joined in the visually impressive department by grade 1 winner Imperial Hint, the expected favorite for the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

Exercise rider Pedro Castillo has been masterful in getting the good-feeling Imperial Hint to harness himself in the mornings and accomplished that task again during their half-mile work in :48 2/5. Imperial Hint registered splits of :12 2/5 and :36 1/5, with a gallop out to five furlongs in 1:01 1/5.

"(Castillo) gets along very well with him," trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said. "He knows the horse very well, and he always gives him a little something extra to do. Today was just a maintenance work since we're so close to the race. We went from the three-eighths and did an easy half—and for him, an easy half is probably about :47, :48 and change. The gallop out was strong again, so I was really happy with the work."

Imperial Hint has won nine of his past 11 starts dating to December 2016, and finished second in last year's edition of the Sprint, when he was beaten a length by Roy H. Since his sixth-place finish in the Churchill Downs Stakes presented by Twinspires.com (G2), the 5-year-old son of Imperialism has rattled off three straight graded stakes wins—the latest of which was his 1 1/4-length score in the Sept. 29 Vosburgh Stakes (G1), where Castellano had him on cruise control throughout the stretch.

"The horse is ready," Carvajal said. "We got lucky that we faced not as tough competition (in the Vosburgh), but the race was perfect for him."

Other Breeders' Cup contenders who worked at Churchill Downs Sunday were Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) runners Channel Maker (four furlongs, :49) and Liam the Charmer (five furlongs in 1:05 3/5, turf); Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1)/Classic contender City of Light  (four furlongs, :47 3/5); Dirt Mile hopeful Seven Trumpets (five furlongs, 1:01 2/5); Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) runners Fuhriously Kissed (four furlongs, :50 2/5 on turf), Mom's On Strike (four furlongs, :48 1/5), and Paved (five furlongs, 1:05 3/5); Sprint runner Promises Fulfilled (four furlongs, :48 2/5); Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) contenders Mia Mischief (four furlongs, :49) and Miss Sunset (four furlongs, :49 4/5); Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) hopefuls Tight Ten (four furlongs, :50) and Topper T (four furlongs, :47 3/5); Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) contender Will Call (four furlongs, :49 2/5); Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) runner King of Speed (four furlongs, :50), and Juvenile Turf/Juvenile Turf Sprint hopeful Tracksmith (four furlongs, :48 3/5).