Francesca Le Donne Photo

Casse duo Jack and Noah and Old Chestnut headline Friday's $80K Sir Cat

by Keith McCalmont

Trainer Mark Casse, elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in May, will send out stakes-winners Jack and Noah and Old Chestnut in Friday's $80,000 Sir Cat, a six-furlong turf sprint for sophomores at Belmont Park.

Gary Barber's Jack and Noah, a French-bred son of Bated Breath, won impressively on debut when sprinting six furlongs under Jose Lezcano on the Belmont turf in September. He came back nine days later at Belmont to set a swift pace in the Grade 3 Futurity, marking off splits of 21.62 and 44.33, en route to finishing fourth.

"We've been very high on this horse for a long time," said assistant trainer Jamie Begg. "We were trying to get to the Breeders' Cup with him last year, so we put him back in quick and he was fourth. He set blistering fractions."

Jack and Noah stayed home rather than going to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and captured the Atlantic Beach, a six-furlong turf sprint, in November at the Big A.

Following a front-running effort when fifth in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston, Jack and Noah returned to turf sprinting last out when second, by a head, to Sir Cat-rival Chimney Rock, on May 17 in a Churchill Downs allowance test.

Jack and Noah worked a solid half-mile in 49.55 on June 11 on the Belmont main track. Begg said the colt is coming into the Sir Cat in good order.

"He's training great," said Begg. "He worked a 49 under a hold going easy over the dirt track here. He looks great."

Jack and Noah will emerge from post 2 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who will be aboard for the first time in the afternoon.

"Johnny worked him before he ran first time out and really wanted to ride him, but he went out to California for a stakes and ended up missing the maiden race. Now, he finally gets to ride him," said Begg.

Live Oak Plantation's Old Chestnut, a chestnut son of Speightstown, captured the Ontario Racing, a five-furlong turf sprint at Woodbine Racetrack in September. He has been off-the-board in four starts since, all in stakes company and at varying distances, including a last-out fourth on the main track Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct Racetrack on February 8.

Begg said Old Chestnut is now back doing what he was bred to do.

"I think we've figured him out now," said Begg. "He runs more to his pedigree and is more of a come-from-behind sprinter than he is a distance horse."

Old Chestnut recorded a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.43 on the Belmont inner turf on June 8, tuning up for the Sir Cat. Junior Alvarado has the call from post 3.

"We worked him over the grass the other day and it was a serious work. Junior was very happy with him," said Begg.

Three Diamonds Farm's Chimney Rock, trained by Mike Maker, boasts a record of 9-3-3-1 with purse earnings of $410,105. The Louisiana-bred son of Artie Schiller captured the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes in December at Fair Grounds after running a bang-up second in the Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park.

Jose Ortiz, aboard for the last-out allowance score over Jack and Noah at Churchill Downs, will pilot Chimney Rock from post 7.

Qatar Racing's Guildsman, a French-bred son of Wootton Bassett, was twice group placed overseas with a third in the Group 2 Coventry in June 2019 at Ascot and second in the Group 3 Round Tower in August at the Curragh when conditioned by Archie Watson.

Guildsman was transferred to the care of Brendan Walsh for his sophomore campaign and has posted a pair of strong rallying thirds in turf sprints, both after sluggish starts, in the Texas Glitter in March at Gulfstream and again in the Churchill Downs allowance won by Chimney Rock.

Luis Saez, aboard for the Texas Glitter effort, has the call from post 4.

Rounding out the field are Maxwell Esquire (post 1, Joel Rosario), Turned Aside (post 5, Jose Lezcano) and So Street (post 8, Trevor McCarthy.) Mr. Shortandsimple is entered for the main-track only.

Carded as Race 9 at 5:36 p.m. Eastern on Thursday's 10-race slate, the Sir Cat will feature on America's Day at the Races, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, and airing live on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the broadcast and can be accessed at www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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