Catalano Sends Trio to Cardinal Handicap

Veteran trainer Wayne Catalano, already enjoying his best year at Churchill Downs, will attempt to build on his 2014 accomplishments when he sends multiple stakes winner I'm Already Sexy and two stablemates in an overflow field entered for the Nov. 22 running of the $100,000 Cardinal Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

The Cardinal, scheduled to be the final stakes on the Churchill turf in 2014, attracted 16 fillies and mares ages 3 and up looking to put an exclamation point on their season. A total of 14 will be allowed to compete in the 1 1/8-mile race, with two on the also-eligible list.

The Cardinal is scheduled as the ninth of 11 races on the Saturday card with an approximate post time of 4:36 p.m. EST.

I'm Already Sexy, owned by Hit the Board Stables, has run six times in 2014 and collected stakes victories in the Modesty (gr. IIIT) at Arlington International Race Course and the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf at the all-grass racing venue in Franklin, Ky.

The 4-year-old daughter of Ready's Image has one victory in four career starts at Churchill and has a pair of outings on the course this year. She ran sixth to Coffee Clique in her 2014 debut in the $300,000 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIT) and was a narrowly-beaten second to Honey Hues in the $100,000 Early Times Mint Julep Handicap (gr. IIIT).

Catalano's filly has displayed early speed throughout her career and will need another alert start after drawing the inside post for Saturday's race. Jockey Calvin Borel rides I'm Already Sexy, who will carry high weight of 119 pounds.

A victory by I'm Already Sexy in the Cardinal would provide Catalano with his third Churchill stakes victory of 2014, following triumphs in the Regret (gr. III) by Aurelia's Belle and West Coast Belle in the Rags to Riches overnight stakes. Catalano's breakthrough season included his first leading trainer title at Churchill; he saddled seven winners during the 12-day September meet to share that honor with 15-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen.

I'm Already Sexy traveled to Santa Anita Park for her most recent outing in the $200,000 Goldikova Stakes (gr. IIT) on Breeders' Cup weekend. She finished fourth to Filimbi, but was disqualified and placed fifth after interfering with a rival in the homestretch.

Her career record stands at 7-1-0 in 17 races, and she has earned $509,998 heading into the Cardinal.

The other members of Catalano's Cardinal trio are Team Valor International's Angegreen, who is winless in 10 starts in the United States but finished a fast-closing third last time out to White Rose in a division of the Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon at 1 5/16 miles; and Coffeepot Stables' Imposing Grace, winner of the 2013 Arlington Matron (gr. III) on Polytrack. Channing Hill will ride Angegreen from post 4, while Imposing Grace breaks from post 7 under Rafael Mojica Jr.

An intriguing invader for the Cardinal is Sycamore Racing's Nellie Cashman, a 4-year-old daughter of Mineshaft   who returns to Churchill for the first time since a sixth-place run in last fall's Mrs. Revere (gr. IIT). I'm Already Sexy finished ninth in that race.

Trained by Francis "Trey" Abbott III, Nellie Cashman scored a comfortable victory in a Laurel Park turf allowance race Sept. 26 to snap a six-racing losing streak that began last fall with a runner-up finish to Overheard in the Valley View Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland. Nellie Cashman's 3-year-old campaign included a victory in the Virginia Oaks (gr. IIIT), and she finished first in the Lake Placid (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course but was disqualified from that win and placed third.

The Pennsylvania-bred filly, who is conditioned at Fair Hill Training Center, will break from post 8 under regular rider Forest Boyce.

Another Cardinal contender could be Amerman Racing Stables' Royal Fury, runner-up the Canadian Stakes (Can-IIT) on the Woodbine grass for trainer Brian Lynch, who won the Nov. 15 Commonwealth Turf (gr. IIIT) at Churchill with Heart to Heart.

Royal Fury has only one win in eight races this year, but has run strongly in the second half of 2014 with performances that include a runner-up finish to multiple graded-stakes winner La Tia in the Ontario Matron Stakes (Can-III) and a runner-up finish in the Trillium Stakes on Woodbine's Polytrack course.

In her most recent outing, she displayed early speed before she encountered traffic problems and finished seventh of eight behind Just the Judge in Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Stakes (Can-IT) on turf.

Julien Leparoux, who has ridden the winner of the last three graded stakes at Churchill, will ride Royal Fury from the outside gate in the field of 14.