BEN'S CAT WINS THE TURF MONSTER HANDICAP!

Ben's Cat picked up the seventeenth victory of his career on Monday when he rallied past Chamberlain Bridge in the Parx Racing homestretch to win the $350,000 Turf Monster Handicap (gr. III) by a head.

Ridden to victory by Julian Pimentel, Ben's Cat was content to race in the fourth position early on as Ju Jitsu Jax and Great Mills dueled through the opening quarter mile in :23.32 seconds. Chamberlain Bridge was racing in third, about a length behind them, while Car Thief, Super Chunky, Catalactic, and Kyma were the early trailers.

Entering the homestretch, Ju Jitsu Jax dropped out of contention, but Great Mills continued on strongly to open up a clear advantage past the eighth pole. But Chamberlain Bridge and Ben's Cat were both closing strongly on the far outside, and the trio hit the wire together with little between them. The photo finish camera revealed Ben's Cat the winner by a head, with Chamberlain Bridge a nose in front of Great Mills. The final time was 1:00.62.

Catalactic finished 5 1/2 lengths back of the top three in third, while Super Chunky, Car Thief, Ju Jitsu Jax, and Kyma completed the order of finish. The winner is owned by The Jim Stable and trained by King Leatherbury.

-Keelerman

Turf Monster Handicap Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $350,000 Turf Monster Handicap (gr. III), to be run on Monday at Parx Racing. The five-furlong turf sprint has drawn a deep and competitive field of eleven, including 2010 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. III) winner Chamberlain Bridge, 2011 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) winner Sean Avery, the speedy Todd Pletcher-trainee Bridgetown, eight-time stakes winner Royal Currier, and 2011 Turf Monster Handicap winner Ben's Cat.

1 Car Thief
2 Kyma
3 Catalactic
4 Great Mills
5 Ben's Cat
6 Super Chunky
7 Royal Currier
8 Bridgetown
9 Ju Jitsu Jax
10 Sean Avery
11 Chamberlain Bridge

-Keelerman