Caught a Heater Wins First Time Out
Courtesy of EverythingEQ.com
Making his career debut in a Maiden Special Weight, Caught a Heater did not disappoint on October 16. The 2-year-old colt, by Congrats, galloped to a 2 ½ length victory at Belmont Park, besting eleven other opponents in the 6 ½ furlong contest.
Piloted by Manuel Franco, Caught a Heater broke out of the #4 hole and was fifth to leave the gate. He settled into mid-pack while Mission Leader and Conquest Prankster set hot early fractions of :22.71 and :46.27. When the two front-runners gave way, Gregory Sacco-trained Sicilia Mike — with Jose Lezcano in the irons — took over briefly, running the six furlongs in 1:11.17. Their lead was short-lived as Caught a Heater ran alongside, inching closer and eventually putting him away to win in a time of 1:17.50. Prior to clearing his foe, Caught a Heater swung out five-wide and rallied down the lane in impressive manner. The win paid $27.80, $12.60, and $9.00.
Bred in New York by Lawrence Goichman, Caught a Heater is out of Intentional Fever, a multiple stakes winner by Stormin Fever — who won the 1998 Gr.3 Sport Page Handicap at Aqueduct and later ran second to 1999 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Artax in the 1999 Vosburg Stakes at Belmont Park. Caught a Heater was purchased for $125,000 at the Fasig-Tipton NY-bred Yearly Sale at Saratoga in August of 2015 and is currently 1-for-1.
Regarding the win, trainer Tom Morley expressed, “We have a lot of very talented 2-year-olds in the barn, some which have yet to make their debut, but have shown plenty of potential. I’m thrilled with his effort today. It was a very good run.”
Caught a Heater is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds.
Photo Courtesy: NYRA
