Quite a few constants and differences followed this chestnut horse during his nine-race career.

The constants included always earning respect from the public, being able to adapt to different tracks, winning races and having the same trainer from the beginning. As for the differences, he teamed up with a couple of jockeys, had different running styles, and won sprinting and routing.

All of that added up to a fine career that was brief, yet laudable.

From the 2017 to 2019 seasons, Catalina Cruiser was a regular on the Southern California circuit, with six of his nine career starts happening between Santa Anita and Del Mar. Santa Anita served as the stage for his debut in the fall of 2017. Teaming up with Drayden Van Dyke, Catalina Cruiser came from off the pace to take over and win the six furlong sprint for trainer John Sadler and Hronis Racing. He and Van Dyke would win in Arcadia again the following spring, only this time he did so while taking the early lead and holding off challenges from rivals to win handily.

While Catalina Cruiser was right at home at Santa Anita, he defintely loved Del Mar. Of those two tracks, the seaside was particularly good to him as he never lost on Jimmy Durante Boulevard in four appearances. He captured back-to-back runnings of the Grade II San Diego Handicap and Grade II Pat O'Brien Stakes in 2018 and 2019, and is only one of two horse to win the Pat O'Brien multiple times. Though primarily a sprinter throughout his career, the San Diego Handicap demonstrated Catalina Cruiser's ability to run going long.

But Del Mar also showed more of Catalina Cruiser's strengths. Throughout those four races, Catalina Cruiser won while taking the early lead or tracking the early pacesetter. He withstood challenges, opened up on his rivals to win by a lot or by a nose, overcame a wide trip to win or traveled on the inside en route to the wire. He also won at Del Mar with the three jockeys who would team with him over time: Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario and Drayden Van Dyke. For some reason, Del Mar brought out the best in Catalina Cruiser.

If there was one aspect of Catalina Cruiser's career that did not go according to plan, it was at the Breeders' Cup. He tried the Dirt Mile in 2018 at Churchill Downs, but the tone for that race was set after he veered out of the gate at the start. He recovered to get into early contention, but raced wide and faded to finish sixth. The Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita followed one year later. Catalina Cruiser started from the rail, but the result was more of the same. Catalina Cruiser and Rosario were never a factor and finished seventh in what was Catalina Cruiser's last start.

Although Catalina Cruiser's trip to the Twin Spires did not result in a victory, the colt still proved he could ship. Sent to Belmont Park for the Grade II True North Handicap to start his 2019 campaign, Catalina Cruiser fired off a seven-month layoff with Rosario in the saddle. That race showed another trait of this Union Rags offspring. After tracking the leaders early, he closed strongly in the last few seconds to win by a half-length.

When Catalina Crusier was retired, he finished up with seven wins in nine starts. He was a very respected horse to boot. Outside of the 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint, Catalina Cruiser went favored every time. And those decisions were justifiable, as Catalina Cruiser proved to be a strong horse when he left the starting gate. Now at the start of his stallion career, Catalina Cruiser has already sired a graded stakes winner in Artislas and a graded stakes placed horse in Catalytic.

About the only thing Catalina Cruiser never got to do was try turf. Whether he could have thrived on a grass course will never be known, but he could do everything else asked of him. Tough, nuanced and a proven winner, Catalina Cruiser was a terrific all-around racehorse.