Katonah Rallies From Last Under Pereira To Score In The Grade II, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes

KATONAH RALLIES FROM LAST UNDER PEREIRA TO SCORE IN THE GRADE II, $200,000 SAN PASQUAL STAKES GOING 1 1/8 MILES SATURDAY AT SANTA ANITA

ARCADIA, CA (Jan. 25, 2025)—Katonah made it a successful start to his 6-year-old season Saturday with a last-to-first rally under Tiago Pereira to win the Grade II, $200,000 San Pasqual going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita.

Katonah found himself well back of the field early as a trio of horses, Midnight Mammoth (23-1), favorite Imagination (3-5) and Tarantino (3-1), vied for the early lead. The trio volleyed on the lead through fractions of 22.10, 45.84 and 1:10.71 for six furlongs.

Katonah gradually made-up ground down the backstretch and around the second turn to draw into contention. Meanwhile, Express Train (6-1) launched a rally of his own under Hector Berrios and had ranged up to the leaders. Express Train made the lead in the stretch, but then sweeping down the outside was Katonah, who surged to the front and won going away by two lengths.

“One short move is better for this horse,” Pereira said. “I saw the form and there were a few horses with speed. I didn’t care if I was six lengths, eight lengths behind. I needed the horse to take the bridle and let him tell me, ‘Right now, let’s go.’ When he got to the stretch and took off, I thought, ‘I’m going to win today.”

Katonah is trained by Doug O’Neill, who was not at Santa Anita Saturday, and is owned by R3 Racing LLC. He won in a time of 1:51.36.

Express Train finished second with Tarantino in third and Imagination rounding out the superfecta.

For Katonah, the win was his first since July 2023 when taking the Pleasanton Mile. He made five starts in graded stakes last year with his best finish being a runner-up in the GII San Diego Handicap under Pereira.

Most recently, Katonah added blinkers for the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita and checked in sixth. The blinkers were removed on Saturday.

“He’s just a hard-knocking horse and tries hard every time” Shane O’Neill said. “He closed decently after that pace and we’re all really happy.”

Katonah improved to 17: 5-3-2 with $481,180 in earnings. The San Pasqual serves as a prep for the GI Santa Anita Handicap on March 1. O’Neill also trains another candidate for the 1 ¼-mile Big Cap, J B Strike Back, who won the Pincay Jr. Stakes.

Katonah paid $13.40, $6.60 and $3.60. Express Train, trained by John Shirreffs, returned $6.20 and $3.60. Tarantino, with Edwin Maldonado up for trainer Peter Eurton, paid $3.60.