Puerto Rican Grade 1-placed El Catolico became CATHOLIC BOY’s first stakes winner in a big way with a win in the Clasico Jorge Washington Stakes (PR-G3) by 1 ¾ lengths.
Racing over 1 1/16 miles at Camarero, El Catolico stalked the leader throughout the race, biding his time just over a length behind that one. Willing to go wide for the victory, El Catolico did just that when racing down the track in the five path to take the lead in the final furlong.
He was unstoppable from there, winning by 1 ¾ lengths to stay undefeated in 2024. The win was his third overall in six starts with all six seeing him finish in the top three, including in his three stakes performances.
Trained by Eric Betancourt for Denian Stable, the KateRich Farms-bred is the first out of the stakes winning Parade of Roses.
Parade of Roses isn’t the only stakes winner produced by her own dam as a half-sister to champion British Idiom and multiple stakes winner Royal Prince.
El Catolico was one of four winners for CATHOLIC BOY in a five day period in mid-February.