Tabasco Cat Wins the First Kentucky Cup : Horse racing: Lukas colt sets pace on a muddy track and wins by two lengths. Best Pal is third.

Tabasco Cat set a slow pace on a muddy track and scored a two-length victory in the inaugural $400,000 Kentucky Cup Classic on Saturday at Turfway Park.

Truth Of It All pressed the pace for six furlongs, putting a head in front of Tabasco Cat on the second turn. As Tabasco Cat regained the lead, Mighty Avanti surged by on the outside at the quarter pole, and Pat Day went to the whip on Tabasco Cat, who pulled away.

Mighty Avanti was second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Best Pal. The race was run in a slow 1:50 1/5 for 1 1/8 miles, compared with Hansel’s track record of 1:46 3/5.

Tabasco Cat paid $4.60, $4 and $2.40. Mighty Avanti returned $13.40 and $4 and Best Pal paid $2.40.

Best Pal’s third-place winnings of $32,000 were enough to put him over $5 million, making the all-time California-bred leader only the third thoroughbred to reach that level.

Trainer Wayne Lukas will send Tabasco Cat to the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 8 at Belmont and the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs in an effort to upstage Holy Bull for horse of the year. Holy Bull’s season ended last week with a victory in the Woodward Stakes.

The Kentucky Cup was the feature of Turfway’s first Kentucky Cup Day of Champions. Two graded stakes were part of program.

Pennyhill Park, trained by Roger Attfield, won the $200,000 Turfway Budweiser Breeders’ Cup and returned $14.60, $4.40 and $3.80.

Tejano Run, trained by Kenneth McPeek, won the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Juvenile by three lengths over Gold Miner. The winner paid $8.80, $4.20 and $3.40.

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Dahlia’s Dreamer led all of the way in scoring a 13-length victory in the $200,000 Flower Bowl Invitational on turf at Belmont Park.

Dahlia’s Dreamer covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:05 1/5 over the soft inner course. Dahlia’s Dreamer returned $27.40, $13.40 and $10.40. Alywow paid $8.20 and $6.60 and Danish returned $14.40.

Coming off two narrow defeats at Belmont, the 5-year-old mare earned $120,000 for owner Madeleine Paulson.

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Shining Light won the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes over a sloppy track at Arlington International race course.

Ridden by Juvenal L. Diaz in the one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies, Shining Light won by a neck in a very slow 1:41 3/5.

Alltheway Bertie, the even money favorite who was unbeaten in four starts, including three stakes, finished a dismal third, 18 1/2 lengths behind.

Shining Light paid $13.40, $5.40 and $2.80. She’s A Lively One returned $6.20 and $3. Alltheway Bertie paid $2.20.

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Arlington will close its graded stakes program today with the renewal of the $200,000 Futurity, a Grade II race for 2-year-olds at one mile.

Southland-based Mr Purple is unbeaten in two races, including the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, and is the morning-line favorite. Locally based Evansville Slew is undefeated in three starts.