Jockey Edgar Prado dominated Maryland racing in the 1990s. Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. grew up 15 miles from Laurel Park, following in the footsteps of his father, a top trainer in Maryland in the 1970s who made a successful jump to the big tracks in New York in 1984.
Prado and Dutrow Jr. teamed up yesterday for an impromptu homecoming as the jockey guided Dutrow's New York-based mare Cativa to a powerful 2 1/4-length victory over Sensibly Chic in the Grade II $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap before a crowd of 7,142 at Laurel.
Both rider and trainer made their names in Maryland before rising to the level of the elite in the country. Prado currently leads the jockey standings at the prestigious meet at Gulfstream Park in Florida, while the far-flung Dutrow ranks second in the trainer standings at Aqueduct in New York and fifth at Gulfstream.
"Every time you come home to the place that helped you out, it feels good," said Prado, 32, who won 24 meet riding titles in Maryland in the 1990s.
"You should never forget."
Cativa, a 5-year-old, had never run in a stakes race in 17 career starts before the Barbara Fritchie, but Dutrow had her in excellent form. When the gate opened for the seven-furlong race, Prado sent her right out to battle heavy favorite Bear Fan down the backstretch and she prompted a half-mile in a quick 46.24 seconds.
Before the field even hit the far turn, Cativa moved by Bear Fan and took control. To keep her from loafing, Prado cracked her several times with the whip in the stretch, and she drew away to an easy victory as Bear Fan crumbled and finished eighth.
Cativa won in a quick 1 minute 23.64 seconds and paid $13. Sensibly Chic, trained at Laurel by Tim Tullock, came up the rail to finish second.
Silmaril, who has won four stakes races in the past year in Maryland, took third.
"It was her first stakes try, and it looks like we got lucky," said Dutrow, holding court in the winner's circle. "She's almost won 10 straight races since we claimed her" for $55,000 in September 2003.
Dutrow said he decided to take a chance on the Fritchie because he didn't believe the race had attracted a particularly imposing field for a Grade II race. Besides, he watched Bear Fan get beaten in her prior start in a stakes race at Gulfstream Park and thought she looked vulnerable.
Last year, Bear Fan easily won the Barbara Fritchie, kicking off a run of four straight stakes victories.
"When I'd seen her run that last race at Gulfstream Park, she didn't seem like the same horse," Dutrow said.
"I didn't think the race was too tough."
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