Another day, another win: Grade 3 Parx Dash! He exercised his trademark rating off the pace and pounce in the stretch style.
This makes his career 22 wins from 33 career starts as well as 3 seconds and 2 thirds. His last effort (Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup Handicap) was a 3rd place, but should’ve been a win had there not been considerable interference and having to check hard.
The DRF has the replay of today’s win in their article - link below:
http://www.drf.com/news/parx-bens-cat-turns-tables-tightend-touchdown-parx-dash
He is a fun horse to follow! Even in defeat he puts on a great race. 
Ben’s Cat runs again this Saturday (9/21) at Laurel Park and cross entered in a turf race and a dirt one too: Ben’s Cat likely to switch to dirt in De Francis Dash
In the Laurel Dash, Ben’s Cat would be a defined favorite; in the De Francis, he would be just one of the favorites. But the turf race is worth $100,000, the De Francis $350,000. Mr. Leatherbury has a firm grasp of arithmetic.
“I’m 80 percent sure I’ll be in the big race,” Leatherbury said Thursday. “Second-money in the dirt race is more than I’d get for winning the turf.”
An absence of standout performers is a main selling point for Leatherbury, who has managed his 7-year-old minor star to 22 wins from 34 races and more than $1.6 million in purses. Ben’s Cat, Leatherbury said, might have been just shy of full fitness when he finished a fast-closing second in the Turf Monster Handicap on Sept. 2 at Parx Racing.
In his most recent dirt start, last fall at Penn National, he won the $200,000 Fabulous Strike by a head.
He has decided to run in the Laurel Dash, instead - wants the “sure thing.”
[QUOTE=grits;7181147]
He has decided to run in the Laurel Dash, instead - wants the “sure thing.”[/QUOTE]
Yep - cashed that check today in the Dash, despite Rosie pushing Ben’s Cat almost into the gift shop
Ben’s Cat just seems to be a winning machine. Great to watch him!
Video replay: Sep 21, 2013 “$100,000 Laurel Dash Stakes”
Ben’s Cat, a 7-year-old Parker’s Storm Cat gelding owned by The Jim Stable and trained by King Leatherbury, won for the 23rd time in 35 races. He has won 6 of 7 starts on Laurel turf and is a 15-time winner in 23 grass tries, with earnings of nearly $1.7 million.
Per this tweet from Gabby Gaudet Friday Oct 18th, Ben’s Cat will go to the $125,000 Maryland Million Turf.
That is Race 9, Sat 10-19-2013 at Laurel Park slated to go off at 4:55 PM EST. At a distance of 1-mile, Ben’s Cat has morning line odds of 6/5 
Despite Ben’s Cat on Oct 19th losing by a neck in the Maryland Million Turf he’s right back it again.
Further, even though the winds are significant enough to cancel racing at the Big A, it appears to be a go with racing on the Thanksgiving Eve card at Penn National and no scratches in the big race.
$250,000 Fabulous Strike Handicap. That race goes off as Race 4 7:22 pm Eastern
“An absence of standout performers is a main selling point for Leatherbury, who has managed his 7-year-old minor star to 22 wins from 34 races and more than $1.6 million in purses.”
“minor” star? Really…?
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow!!! Great race!!!
Booya!!! Baby - even with wind and flurries coming down ‘the Cat’ will not be denied and its never wise to look him in the eye and challenge
Paying a whopping $9.80 to win no less!
Final order: 2-7-4
Ben’s Cat - Ribo Bobo - Good Morning Diva
Another $140,000 or so added to the 7-yr old’s coffers - congrats!!
Watching the head on – curious if anyone else sees anything about the seven in that race, who finished second.
If, by some chance, that horse came back to your shedrow tonight, would you think he’s sore somewhere or just has peculiar action when traveling on the off lead?
Tweet from Barbara Livingston with a prior photo too
CONGRATULATIONS to the amazing BEN’S CAT, winner of the Fabulous Strike at Penn National tonight! 19 stakes wins now!
This tweeted pix from Dan Silver with the race - and flurries - coming down to the wire!
Trained by King Leatherbury, Ben’s Cat patiently awaited room and was angled out in the stretch to wear down the pace-setting Ribo Bobo to win by a half-length. The 4-5 favorite, Ribo Bibo finished second, 3 1/4 lengths in front of Good Morning Diva in third.
The running time for the six furlongs over a track rated as good was 1:09.74
Least anyone forget this blue collar guy’s back ground:
Ben’s Cat broke his pelvis at age two. His mother, the Leatherbury-owned Twofox, had three wins, none of them stakes, in 23 races. Ben’s Cat’s dad, Parker’s Storm Cat, had only four middling races of his own before retiring; he’d never sired a winner when Ben’s Cat was conceived.
That is one game little dude! Nice race!
Worth mentioning is the second place finisher against Ben’s Cat, 5-yr old Ribo Bobo, returned to the track this past weekend. That’s just 10-days later after his first defeat of the year at the hands of the ‘Cat’. In that return he won the $110k Claiming Crown Express at Gulfstream Sat Dec 7th - giving him a 2013 record of 11 10-1-0 and earnings this year of $306,935. He was claimed in March 2012 for just $6,250.
Up next for Ribo Bobo will be the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint, which will be run at Gulfstream Park in six weeks on January 18.
“I don’t do much with him – I just try to stay out of his way,” the conditioner quipped. “He eats lots of dandelions, I can tell you that.”
Nice race today for Ben’s Cat, truly a champion and athlete at heart. He’s Number 8, btw.
I love him!
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