Founder’s impressive turn of foot in the Monmouth Park stretch carried the 3-year-old son of Upstart to victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Tale of the Cat S.
Founder, who was making his stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, is the third stakes winner this year for Upstart, who currently ranks in the top five on the Second-Crop sire list by earnings, winners, wins, stakes winners and stakes wins.
As in his prior starts, Founder was without early speed and raced at the back of the seven-horse field along the rail for the first six furlongs. With a wall of horses in front of him, jockey Paco Lopez was forced to take Founder five wide midway on the final turn. With a full head of steam, he stormed by the entire field in a furlong and won by 1 1/4-lengths in 1:41.81 on the firm turf.
“I really wasn’t worried that he was so far back,” said Luis Cabrera, assistant to winning trainer Chad Brown. “His other grass race at Belmont [June 4], he ran with a really strong group, so this time I thought he would have a chance to show how he can finish. He’s not much on speed, but he has a good kick at the end. All Chad said before the race is to make sure he warms up good because he has plenty of ability.”
Founder is now 2-1-1 in seven starts and has earned $139,522 for owners Jeff Drown and Don Rachel.
Bred in Kentucky by Lantern Hill Farm and out of Blue Beryl, Founder sold for $600,000 at the OBS March 2-year-old sale after bringing $220,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.
