Sacristy had her first stakes success in the Grade 3 Old Hat at Gulfstream Park
The newly turned 3-year-old filly, Sacristy, only in her fourth start won the Grade 3, $100,000 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 1 January, 2012, at about six furlongs under jockey K Desormeaux.
She was sent off as the 6 to 5 favourite, but she did give those who bet on her early jitters and a few uneasy moments but she pulled her act together and edged clear of Say A Novena to win the six furlong sprint in 1 minute and 10.91 seconds on dirt.
“She was just spot on today,” jockey Kent Desormeaux said. “Her eyes were bugging out of the bridle. You could tell she wanted to be a racehorse when she was warming up.”
Trained by Wayne M. Catalano for Peachtree Stable, Sacristy is the 3-year-old daughter of Pulpit, out of mare Christies Treasure by Belong to Me. Sacristy in her first two starts ran over Arlington Park’s and Keeneland’s synthetic surfaces in the quest to win her debut race, but she turned in second place finishes on both occasions.
On 11 September, 2011, Sacristy under J Alvarado finished second to Bet to Win in a maiden special weight race at Arlington Park, and then on 14 October, 2011, she finished runner up again to Applauding over the same distance.
Despite early hiccups, trainer Wayne Catalano switched Sacristy from poly track to dirt, and the results were amazing, as if some other filly was running those races.
She was coming off a win over the conventional dirt surface, and grabbed two consecutive wins on dirt when she landed the Old Hat Stakes.
“This is what it’s all about: moving these young horses forwardly. She was taking a step forward and we thought she might make it. She was training like she would,” Catalano said.
She was runner up to Bet To Win in her debut race, and in the Old Hat Stakes, she defeated Bet To Win by 2 ¼ lengths in third.
“She was only three lengths out of it (early). I told Kent, ‘Let her break sharp and see what happens.’ Let the race unfold for him. He knows what to do, that’s why I got him up there. We all know what kind of rider he is.”
Next assignment for Sacristy would be the Grade 2 Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 29 January, 2012, over a distance of seven furlongs.
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