Fore Left wins Tremont Stakes and Catalina Cruiser takes True North Stakes at Belmont

Reporting from ELMONT, N.Y. — There may not be any Southern California horses in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes but the region put up some big wins on Friday.

Fore Left, a once-raced 2-year-old for Doug O’Neill, won the $150,000 Tremont Stakes for horses going 5½ furlongs. One race later, Catalina Cruiser, won the Grade 2 $250,000 True North Stakes for horses 4 and older going 6½ furlongs. He is trained by John Sadler.

Even the ownership groups were Southern California mainstays. Catalina Cruiser runs for the Eclipse Award-winning owners Kosta and Pete Hronis, and other family members. Fore Left is owned by two-time Kentucky Derby winners Paul and Zillah Reddam.

Fore Left’s win was impressive in that he just romped almost from gate to wire. He won by 4½ lengths under an unhurried stretch ride by Mario Gutierrez. Fore Left paid $5.30, $3.50 and $2.70.

“When he broke on top, I thought he’d be tough,” Paul Reddam told the New York Racing Assn. communications staff. “We hope he can run a mile and going forward, but you never know. … He has the pedigree to go 1¼ miles. Usually, with earlier speed you don’t see that, but we hope he’s the exception.”

When asked by text if this was his Derby horse, O’Neill said: “That’s a dream of ours for sure!”

Catalina Cruiser, coming off a disappointing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, had to work from mid-pack, passing two other horses in the stretch to win by half-a-length. He was ridden by Joel Rosario.

Sign up for our horse racing newsletter »

Catalina Cruiser paid $5.60, $4.00 and $3.50.

“The Breeders’ Cup race was tough,” said Stephanie Hronis, part of the ownership group and married to usual spokesman Kosta. “But sometimes that happens when they just need a little break: rest and reset. That’s where John Sadler is great. He’s patient with horses and he can back them up, shift the gears down a little bit, the build them back up again. This says a lot for [Catalina Cruiser] to travel as well as he did.”

Catalina Cruiser had not raced since Nov. 3.

More Southern California-based horses will be running on Saturday’s stakes-filled card, headed by McKinzie in the Metropolitan Handicap.

Click here (or type in this url: lat.ms/2wVt90g) to sign up for our free horse racing newsletter.

[email protected]