Little Man Farm’s homebred Tidewater finished a game second in last year’s Ben’s Cat Stakes at Laurel Park after setting the early pace.

He’ll try to turn the tables Saturday in a Ben’s Cat renewal that has attracted six runners from last year, including winner Whenigettoheaven and third-place finisher Great Idea. Two of those six – Sue Loves Barbados and Bump N Run – are on the also-eligible list and likely to be left out.

Tidewater, who usually is an off-the-pace runner, led every step of last year’s Ben’s Cat until the final sixteenth, when Whenigettoheaven inched in front to win by a neck.

“That was an absolute heartbreaker of a race,” said trainer T J Aguirre. “One, I didn’t expect to be on the lead and neither did [jockey Sheldon Russell]. Two, I was just happy to see him perform well doing it on the lead.”

Tidewater’s 2024 campaign ended after a runner-up effort in his very next start, a second-level allowance here on August 16.

“By the time [another second-level allowance] came around, it was October,” Aguirre said. “Sheldon worked him, and [Tidewater] came back coughing. He got entrapped. I had to do the surgery on him to release that in his throat. Once that flap went back down, he was able to breathe again.”

Like Whenigettoheaven, Tidewater has two prep races entering the Ben’s Cat. After a dismal dirt outing, he finished a hard-charging third in a second-level allowance at Pimlico on May 16. That race has produced one next-out winner from five to run back to date.

“He needed this one because this was the first real race after that nine-month layoff,” Aguirre said. “Sheldon told me he’s back.”

Russell, who has been aboard for all three of Tidewater’s victories, from 16 starts, has the mount Saturday. Tidewater is 6-1 on the morning line.

A win in this contest would give Aguirre his second career stakes win as a trainer. His first came in 2022 with Chambeau, who won the Tyson Gilpin Stakes at Colonial Downs at first asking. It would also be the first stakes triumph for Tidewater, who, in addition to his runner-up effort in this event last year, also finished second to Witty in the 2023 Maryland Million Turf Sprint.

Tidewater, a 5-year-old Outflanker gelding, has been in the money in 11 of 13 turf starts.

“He’s the little horse that could,” Aguirre stated. “His older brother, Benny Havens, looks like a million dollars compared to him. He looks like somebody that just came out of an Amish field. Just this little thing that you wouldn’t spend a thousand dollars on. But he’s all heart.”

Whenigettoheaven, trained by Nolan Ramsey for his grandfather Ken Ramsey, returns to defend his title and is the 5-2 morning line favorite with JG Torrealba named. Torrealba also was aboard in Whenigettoheaven’s victory in this event last year.

Also here are a pair of Virginia-breds, as these Maryland-bred/sired races are now also open to Virginia-bred and -sired runners as part of a deal allowing Maryland-breds to collect state-bred bonus money when running in Virginia.

While the Phil Schoenthal-trained King Covee (15-1) would be a surprise, his former trainee Determined Kingdom would not. A six-year-old Animal Kingdom gelding now trained by Mike Trombetta for the Estate of R. Larry Johnson, Determined Kingdom has 10 wins from 27 career starts to go with earnings of nearly $750,000.

Determined Kingdom most recently finished third behind Witty in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico.

BEN’S CAT STAKES ENTRIES