In his two starts at Gulfstream this year, the chestnut Montbroo horse needed his first race in March when he tired after a half-mile, but was much improved a month later when third behind Built Up and Twilight Road after holding a narrow lead at the eighth pole.
Tour Of The Cat will return to the racetrack Tuesday when he takes the gate for an allowance race at Calder Race Course. The start will be his first since the $2-million Golden Shaheen (UAE-I) in late March and the first for his new trainer Manny Wayar. The 6-year-old Tour d'Or gelding will use Tuesday's six-furlong test as a prep for a possible start next in either the Ponche Handicap at six furlongs or Memorial Day Handicap (gr. III) at 1 1/16 miles during that holiday weekend.Tour Of The Cat's career earnings have passed the $800,000 mark with a 35-10-10-6 record. He won three graded stakes last year, taking the Richter Scale Breeders' Cup (gr. II) sprinting at Gulfstream and the Miami Breeders' Cup (gr. III) and Spend A Buck Handicap (gr. III) around two turns.Tour Of The Cat was claimed for $25,000 early in his 3-year-old season by trainer Myra Mora for Double G Stable. Mora guided his career through the Dubai trip but shipped her stable to Finger Lakes for the summer. Among Tour Of The Cat's five rivals on Tuesday is Cindy and Ron Stengals' 5-year-old Royal Lad, making his third start on the comeback trail after being sidelined for more than 15 months. Trained by Ralph Ziadie, Royal Lad became a major player in th sprint division here as a 3-year-old in 2002 when he won the $250,000 Carry Back Stakes over California invader Captain Squire on Summit of Speed day.
