Catch The Fire brings on the heat in $325,000 Dan Patch

Catch The Fire is red hot as he prepares for Friday’s (Aug. 13) $325,000 Dan Patch Stakes for older harness racing pacers at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.

The 4-year-old stallion has won four of his past five races, with his only setback coming from post 10 in a division of the William R. Haughton Memorial at The Meadowlands on July 17.

For the season, the Todd Luther trainee has won six of nine starts, finished off the board only the previously mentioned one time, and earned $180,863. In his most recent outing this past Saturday, Catch The Fire won a division of the Sam McKee Memorial by a neck over Nicholas Beach in 1:47.2 at The Meadowlands.

Catch The Fire will start the Dan Patch from post four with driver Scott Zeron and is the 3-1 morning-line favorite.

“I couldn’t be happier with him,” said Luther, who trains Catch The Fire for Black Magic Racing and CT Stables. “As long as he draws good, I think he can go with any of them in the country right now. He’s possibly the sharpest. He’s really sharp right now.”

Catch The Fire was a Kentucky Sire Stakes champion at age 2 and last year won four times on the Grand Circuit. He captured his elimination and final of the Delvin Miller Adios, won his elimination of the Little Brown Jug (finishing third in the final) and won The Pegasus at Hoosier Park.

A son of Captaintreacherous out of Dream Outloud, he has won 14 of 38 career races and earned $879,064. He was trained at 2 and 3 by John Ackley. Luther took over the conditioning after his brother Greg (Black Magic Racing) bought an interest in Catch The Fire during the winter.

“John did a great job with him,” Luther said. “I don’t think he missed one big dance at 3. He was in every single one of them and showed up.

“He’s a good horse. He’s very well-mannered, easy to get along with, and does everything right. And he gives a hundred percent every time he hits the track. He loves his job. I’ve got 50 head and he probably likes his job more than anybody in the barn. He loves, loves, loves to race. There’s not much more you can ask of a horse.”

This past winter, Catch The Fire began his stud career at Sugar Valley Farm in Ohio. His book was originally limited to 65 mares because of the plan to continue racing, but later increased to 85. He competed in Ohio exclusively to start the season while performing his double duties.

“I thought maybe the breeding might get him a little more excited, and hard to handle, but you wouldn’t even know,” Luther said. “He’s so professional in every way.”

With last week’s win, Catch The Fire established a new career mark. His time of 1:47.2 was just one-fifth of a second from tying for the season’s fastest mile. The stallion raced with a blind bridle after wearing blinkers in his more recent previous races.

“He was wearing a blind bridle at the beginning of the season, but he was starting to get a little hot, so I put blinkers on him to try to calm him down a little bit,” Luther said. “I think the last few starts, he got a little too relaxed. So, in the McKee, we put a blind bridle back on him to wake him back up a little bit. He was so good, we’ll probably leave the blind bridle on him.

“He came out of the McKee really good. He’s definitely feeling good about himself. He knows he’s been racing really good.”

Catch The Fire will see a familiar trio of Ron Burke-trained horses in the Dan Patch. This Is The Plan is the 7-2 second choice, followed by Backstreet Shadow at 4-1 and Cattlewash at 9-2. Backstreet Shadow starts from the second tier in post 10.

Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. The Dan Patch is estimated to go to post at 10:59 p.m. as race 13 on the card. For complete entries, click here.

Following is the Dan Patch Stakes field.

PP-Horse-Sire-Driver-Trainer-ML
1-Sintra-Mach Three-Jody Jamieson-David Menary-10/1
2-Workin Ona Mystery-Captaintreacherous-Todd McCarthy-Brian Brown-12/1
3-This Is The Plan-Somebeachsomewhere-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-7/2
4-Catch The Fire-Captaintreacherous-Scott Zeron-Todd Luther-3/1
5-Cattlewash-Somebeachsomewhere-David Miller-Ron Burke-9/2
6-Little Rocket Man-Rockin Image-John DeLong-Melissa Essig-20/1
7-Brassy Hanover-Well Said-Brian Sears-Jeff Cullipher-8/1
8-No Lou Zing-Sweet Lou-Dexter Dunn-Nancy Takter-15/1
9-Tellmeaboutit-Tellitlikeitis-Michael Oosting-Alvin Miller-30/1
10-Backstreet Shadow-Shadow Play-Trace Tetrick-Ron Burke-4/1

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA