NEWS
Cicada Stakes recap: Finder's Fee wins battle of Storm Cat fillies
Posted: Sunday, April 02, 2000
Apollo Cat looked like she had secured a front-running win in the $100,000 Cicada Stakes (G3) at seven furlongs at Aqueduct on Saturday, but .55-to-1 favorite Finder's Fee came on in the last furlong to get up to record a three-quarter-length triumph. Both fillies are by Storm Cat and out of Mr. Prospector mares.
Overbrook Farm's Apollo Cat, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, was the speed in the race as expected. She quickly took the lead under jockey Herberto Castillo Jr. and maintained a half-length lead over Southern Sandra, who was ridden by Aaron Gryder. Mary's Silver Pen, who won her last race by disqualification when she was nearly knocked off her feet by Apollo Cat, stalked the pace in third on the outside. Finder's Fee, ridden by Jerry Bailey, lingered 2 ½ lengths off the lead on the rail in fourth. The first quarter-mile went in a moderate :23.52 before the race heated up, with the second quarter going in :22.69 for a :46.21 half-mile.
At the half, Bailey set Finder's Fee in motion, advancing to third, and the stretch battle began. Apollo Cat fought to hold onto her lead as Southern Sandra on the outside and Finder's Fee on the rail came up to challenge, with the first six furlongs coming in 1:10.35. In the final furlong, Finder's Fee dug in and pulled ahead to prevail. Apollo Cat held onto second by a nose over Southern Sandra. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:23.07 on a fast track.
"It looked like speed was holding up, so I started getting into her on the backstretch to get her involved," Bailey said of Finder's Fee. "I was going to take her off the rail and try to split horses, but it looked like (Southern Sandra) had enough left to keep me pinned, so I stayed inside. I had to get into her in the lane, but I didn't want to be overconfident because I went outside horses earlier (Sahara Gold, second in the sixth race) and couldn't get by."
Castillo said he was pleased with Apollo Cat, but just got outfinished. "I tried to slow the pace down as much as I could," Castillo said. "At the three-eighths pole, everybody started running toward me. She dug in gamely and lost to a nice filly."
Finder's Fee is trained for owner-breeder Odgen "Dinny" Phipps by Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey III. The Cicada was her first win since capturing the Matron Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on September 19. Her bankroll now stands at $319,135, including the $65,000 winner's share of the Cicada purse, from four wins in ten starts. Her next start will most likely be in the Comely Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct on April 21.
