Cataleya Strike delivered a strong stretch rally to win the $100,000 Native Dancer Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday, notching his second consecutive victory and continuing a sharp turnaround in form. The win marked the gelding’s fifth career victory from 17 starts, pushing his earnings past $230,000.

Trained by Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon and ridden confidently by Jevian Toledo, Cataleya Strike rated well off the early pace set by favorite Speedyness, who controlled the tempo while taking heat from Film Star. Cataleya Strike began to advance midway on the far turn, swung four wide into the stretch, and powered past the leader nearing the sixteenth pole. He edged clear late to win by 2¾ lengths, stopping the clock in 1:52.99 for 1 1/8 miles over a muddy (sealed) track.

“If those two horses go to the lead, we got a chance to win the race, because, you know, they put pressure to each other,” said Sanchez-Salomon. “You gotta leave it up to whatever is going to come from behind. Luckily, we did.”

After enduring a lengthy winless spell, Cataleya Strike has now won four races since September, showing signs of a career resurgence. Saturday’s score against a quality field firmly stamps him as a horse in form and one to watch through the spring.

“The best thing is when you get the right jockey and the right race, especially with this horse because he’s a little lazy,” Sanchez Salomon said. “If you’re getting going, if you don’t check or grab him, he’s fine. If you grab him a little bit, he loses the momentum.”

Speedyness, the heavy favorite at odds of 0.70-1, set the early fractions and dug in gamely but was no match late. Curlin’s Malibu rallied from last to grab third.