Coming From the ‘Clouds’ in the Natalma

George Strawbridge’s green-and-white silks were carried to victory in the 1994 Natalma S. aboard With Care, and Know Clouds (Henrythenavigator) looks to give the legendary owner his second win in Saturday’s event, which offers the winner an all-expenses paid trip to Keeneland for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf.

The Pennsylvania-bred was off at just under 7-1 for her Aug. 11 debut over the Presque Isle Tapeta track, but she was pinched back two strides away from the gates and raced in a detached last early on. Mario Pino had no choice but to opt for the overland route nearing the stretch, but despite the tough trip, the bay inhaled her rivals en route to a spectacular, if modestly rated, 6 1/4-length victory. Know Clouds is beautifully bred to take to the grass, as her turf stakes-winning dam, Dynamic Cat (Dynaformer), has produced six-from-six, including GIII Herecomesthebride S. victress Dynamic Holiday (Harlan’s Holiday) and SW & MGSP Appealing Cat (Successful Appeal). Her 20-1 morning line is a pipe dream, but Know Clouds appears capable of an upset.

Gamble’s Ghost (Ghostzapper) is another who turned in a spectacular performance in her career unveiling. A homebred for owner Ivan Dalos, the Ontario-bred broke to her inside from the one hole going seven panels over the Polytrack and caboosed the field for the opening few furlongs. But she made inside progress on the turn and skimmed the rail into the stretch before torching her rivals by 8 1/4 lengths to become a ‘TDN Rising Star.’ She’ll add an extra eighth of a mile and gets onto the turf, but her dam was a winner of the La Prevoyante S. going a mile over this course and Gamble’s Ghost clocked a good time in a four-furlong spin over the local grass course Sept. 6.

Trainer Mark Casse has sent out the Natalma winner five times in the last nine years and is represented by Catch a Glimpse (City Zip) this time around. A debut fifth in a rained-off maiden over a sloppy Saratoga main track July 30, the chestnut most recently belied odds of 8-1 to graduate in a seven-furlong allowance prep Aug. 22, besting Pulled the Goalie (Parading) and Miss Metropolitan (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). Catch a Glimpse’s half-brother, Old Forester (Forestry), was a Grade III winner on the lawn and is a perennial leading sire in Canada.