Birthdate: July 24, 1956 Birthplace: New Orleans, La. Residence: Elgin, Ill. Family: wife Renee;   Daughter, Shelbi

2008 Gulfstream Record

•  Longtime top conditioner in Chicago won the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Dreaming of Anna for owner Frank Calabrese.
• The 2-year-old filly Eclipse Award champion finished third in the Old Hat and second in the Gaily Gaily on turf at Gulfstream in 2007 and retired in October 2008 with $2 million earned and 10 victories. Catalano also trained ‘Anna’s’ brother Lewis Michael won the Pat O’Brien at Del Mar last summer and went on to finish seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Dreaming of Liz won two stakes at Arlington Park and a new filly, Sugar Mom, was in the pipeline after winning the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies  in September.
• As a teenager an uncle sent him to the track to learn the game from Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg. He started out as an exercise rider before becoming a jockey.
• He won 1,792 races through a nine-year career that was cut short by knee problems. He made an easy transition to training thanks to his connections to Van Berg and has won 11 titles in Chicago, including seven of the last nine at Arlington.
• He started the year finishing second at Gulfstream with 24 wins. His first big star was 1997 Louisiana and Arkansas Derby winner Crypto Star. That colt would finish fifth in the Kentucky Derby.
• He has also trained graded-stakes winners Tamweel, Little Sucker and Cuzzy Bear.