Second Place Money Seems Like Windfall!

- Highland Cat earned $5,200 by finishing second in yesterday's race...and that's only $800 less than he made when he graduated! The winner's share of $15,600 in the $26,000 race was far more than the entire $10,000 purse of that bottom maiden claimer!

From the moment the gates opened, it's easy to see that this is a totally different animal on the grass. Whereas he's virtually a lock to be last on the dirt, here he broke with enthusiasm and alacrity, and jockey Eddie Martin Jr. easily established good position going into the first turn, despite breaking from the outside post in the field of eight. And he kicked home pretty well (in a final quarter of 24 4/5 in the slow-paced race) for second. Stay tuned for photos and video tomorrow, when I can finally juice up my laptop again. The next appropriate races for him in the condition book are on May 24 - there's an allowance race (eh) and a similar spot to yesterday (sounds good).

In other happy stable news, Just Zip It (who I also will be writing a cash call check for), so impressive in her debut last fall, has returned from a stint on the farm to soothe her sore shins - no real problem, just normal two-year old stuff - and is back at Belmont in the care of Bill Turner, who says it won't be too long, perhaps just a few weeks, before he envisions her back in the starting gate to make her three-year old debut.