Madcap Escapade Falters in Stretch, Is Upset by My Trusty Cat

LOUISVILLE, May 7 -- In seven career starts, the brilliant filly Madcap Escapade had lost only once, to the champion filly Ashado last year in the Kentucky Oaks. For the first time since that race, Madcap Escapade returned to the Churchill Downs track Saturday and once again was beaten, this time as a 3-5 favorite, as My Trusty Cat upset her in the Grade I $250,000 Humana Distaff Handicap.

On a stakes-packed undercard to the Kentucky Derby, Madcap Escapade was the main star, and fans bet accordingly. But after she ran out to a three-length lead in a 44.37 second half-mile, she appeared completely out of gas in the stretch as My Trusty Cat won the seven-furlong sprint in 1 minute 21.18 seconds.

Jockey Jerry Bailey blamed the track as the only thing that could beat Madcap Escapade. "She doesn't run even on this track, and she doesn't run any faster if you push her," he said. "Usually she'll open up, but she just struggles over this track more than any other."

My Trusty Cat lost in April to Madcap Escapade in Keeneland, but trainer David Vance figured he had a better shot in the Humana.

"I knew this wasn't going to be Madcap Escapades' kind of track," Vance said. "It's playing just too fast."

· CHURCHILL DOWNS HANDICAP (GRADE II): Maryland-based jockey Ramon Dominguez may have finished last in the Kentucky Derby on High Limit, but he continued his rise to national stature on Derby Day.

Dominguez placed his 17-1 long shot Battle Won in second behind Trickey Trevor and pressed the pace until taking over with a quarter-mile to go. With 50-1 shot Level Playingfield closing late for second, Battle won the seven-furlong race in a blistering 1:20.56, just off the track record.

"The race went as the trainer [Charles Simon] expected," Dominguez said. "He was very confident in this horse. He likes to be close to the pace, so the track helped us today."

· THREE CHIMNEYS JUVENILE: Trainer Wayne Lukas is well known for sprinting 2-year-old fillies against the boys, and he tried it again this $100,000 race. This time, however, his Dance Daily lost a speed duel to Todd Pletcher's Half Ours, who pulled away to a 4 1/4 -length victory.

Pletcher spoke highly this week of his $625,000 son of Unbridled's Song, and he delivered, running five furlongs in 57.07 seconds to remain undefeated in two starts.

"The first couple of times I breezed this colt it was like, 'Wow, this colt can really run, and we're not asking him to do anything,' " Pletcher said.

Pletcher has won the Three Chimneys three times now, and the other two runners, Limehouse and More Than Ready, went on to compete in the Kentucky Derby.