Built Returns Winning Impressively at Fair Grounds
NEW ORLEANS (Dec. 18, 2025) — Built, last year’s Gun Runner Stakes winner, returned to racing in impressive fashion with a second-level allowance victory going six furlongs in Race 7 on Thursday at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Trained by Wayne Catalano and owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the 3-year-old was making his first start since the Pat Day Mile (G2). With Jareth Loveberry aboard, Built delivered a polished performance that underscored his development during the layoff.
Catalano was on hand to watch the return and praised both the colt and his rider.
“Built bobbled a bit leaving the gate, which is probably a good thing because the 7 horse was coming over,” Catalano said. “I’m happy with the way everything went down. Jareth did a great job. He didn’t get excited. He let him settle and do his thing.”
Never being asked by his rider, Built maneuvered from the gate to track four wide before advancing on the leaders to take command at the quarter pole. He beat Save the Trees by 1 ½ lengths and earned an 89 Beyer Speed Figure.
Catalano indicated the colt’s future is likely to remain around one turn, though no firm plans have been set.
“We’re thinking we’ll probably keep him at one turn,” Catalano said. “Might be a one-turn mile horse, maybe seven-eighths. But we’ll talk to the boss and see how everything goes. We’ll let the horse talk to us first, and then me and him will talk.”
The veteran trainer also noted significant physical maturation since Built’s last start.
“Oh, he grew up,” Catalano said. “He filled out big.”
Built earned a spot in Kentucky Derby 151 before his connections decided to run him in the Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard. His successful return comes almost a year to the day from when he earned his first Derby points, as the 5th running of the Gun Runner Stakes headlines Road to the Derby Kickoff Day on Saturday.
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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.
