Churchill Downs Update: 'Cookin Wit Cat' -- Catalano Shares Turkey Tips Ahead of Thanksgiving

Nov 19, 2025

If there’s one thing veteran trainer and racetrack chef Wayne Catalano knows better than his horses, it’s cooking for a crowd. And with Thanksgiving around the corner, Catalano is back in the kitchen and sharing his go-to method for a perfect holiday turkey.

Catalano says his biggest culinary secret for cooking Thanksgiving turkey is deceptively simple.

“Season it with salt and pepper, not a whole lot of the exotic stuff. At least for me anyway,” Catalano said. “You do you. But my big secret is turning the turkey upside down so the juice flows to the breast meat. I’ll stuff it with all that good stuff – onions, carrots, celery, stuffing – but instead of the juices running out the bottom, flip the bird over and let it drip right into the breast meat.”

It’s a technique Catalano swears by when cooking Thanksgiving dinner for his family at home.

“Everybody wants that juicy turkey,” he said. “This is how you guarantee it. Having the right size bird and drip pan help but if you can figure out how to do that, I’m telling you, it’s worth it.”

And the sides are just as important. Catalano’s personal Thanksgiving table isn’t complete without his signature baked mac and cheese done “Rocky and Carlo’s” style.

“The mac and cheese is the Cat’s Meow,” Catalano said. “It’s baked with a long macaroni noodle and it hits the spot every time. If you’re feeding a big crew, make two pans. Trust me. One time, I didn’t have an oven and was just using the grill. My wife Renee told me try it on the grill. It was amazing.”

Away from the stove, Catalano is settling back into familiar territory as Fair Grounds opens its racing season Thursday.

“Cat’s have nine lives and I think I’ve used eight of ’em,” Catalano joked. “But we’re here, we’re back at Fair Grounds and we’re ready to make the most of it.”

THIS WEEK AT CHURCHILL DOWNS – Churchill Downs’ Fall Meet rolled on for another five-day racing week that began Wednesday for a nine-race card.

Daily first post Wednesday-Sunday is 1 p.m. with the cards featuring competitive fields and great wagering opportunities led by a $145,504 carryover in the 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot.

On Wednesday, the main track started listed as “muddy” and the turf was labeled as “good” for the lone turf event in Race 8.

Thursday’s 10-race program includes an uber-competitive maiden special weight contest in Race 10 for 2-year-olds at one mile. One race earlier, a wide-open field of sprinters will take the stage in a conditioned allowance contest worth a purse of $134,000.

Friday’s 10-race card features a 1 1/16-mile conditioned allowance event that includes Albaugh Family Stables’ 2024 Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Catching Freedom and Zimmer Ridge Ranch’s multiple stakes placed Not This Boy.

Saturday’s 11-race card includes the $300,000 Commonwealth Turf (GIII) featuring Grade I winner Troubleshooting and King’s Plate winner Mansetti.

The racing week closes Sunday with a 10-race program that includes three allowance events and a wide-open maiden special weight contest for 2-year-olds.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Fall Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

DERBY CITY 6 JACKPOT RISES TO $145,504 FOR WEDNESDAY’S CARD – Wednesday’s Derby City 6 Jackpot will give horseplayers a chance to score a six-figure payday with the carryover standing at $145,504 for the nine-race card.

The Derby City 6 Jackpot, which challenges bettors to have the only winning combination to take down the jackpot, has a 20-cent denomination with a low 15 percent takeout. If there are multiple winning combinations, 90 percent of the daily pool will be paid out with the remaining 10 percent going to the carryover.

Wednesday’s sequence: (with scratches as of 8:30 a.m. ET)

Race 4 (2:27 p.m.): MC 30000, 3&up, 6 F (10 runners)
Race 5 (2:57 p.m.): Clm 20000b, f&m, 6 F (10 runners)
Race 6 (3:26 p.m.): MC 100000, 2yo f, 6 F (10 runners)
Race 7 (3:55 p.m.): Mdn 120k, 2yo f, 1 M, (nine runners)
Race 8 (4:25 p.m.): Alw 127000n2L, 2yo f, 1 1/16 M (T) (eight runners)
Race 9 (4:55 p.m.): Mdn 92k, 2yo, 6 F (10 runners)
CHURCHILL DOWNS AT A GLANCE – The following are Churchill Downs averages, courtesy of Brisnet:

Avg. Win Odds: 5.22-1
Favorite Win: 35%
Favorite In-The-Money: 67%
Exacta: $84.96
Trifecta: $635.55
Superfecta: $4,791.23
Super Hi-5: $5,275.17
Double: $87.52
Pick 3: $679.65
Pick 4: $5,723.49
Pick 5: $33,384.04
Derby City 6 Jackpot: $367,008.52
DOWN THE STRETCH – Trainers Greg Foley and Brad Cox were both approaching a milestone 500th-career win at Churchill Downs. Foley was one win away (no entries Wednesday) while Cox (four entries Wednesday) was eight away. … Wednesday was Senior Day and guests 60 and older enjoyed a discounted lunch on Millionaires’ Row. … Irad Ortiz Jr. began the week with a 25-21 lead over his brother Jose Ortiz in the jockey standings. … Cox was up 11-7 over Brendan Walsh in the trainer standings. … Godolphin has six wins, two more than Joseph F. Novogratz’s Novogratz Racing Stables Inc. in the owner standings. … Two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bill Mott is in town and will receive the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners’ Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year award on Saturday at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Also honored at the event will be Kentucky chief state steward Barb Borden who won the Woman of the Year award. … The season finale of “Inside Churchill Downs” airs Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN Louisville. Join Darren Rogers and Kevin Kerstein as they give their non-expert takes on Saturday’s card and a look ahead to Thanksgiving Week racing at Churchill Downs. Those in the Louisville area can live on ESPN 680/105.7 or online at www.espnlouisville.com. … Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and the lone Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager will run Thanksgiving Day-Sunday, Nov. 30. The fields for each pool will be released Monday. … Only 10 days of racing remain in 2025 at Churchill Downs. For more information, visit www.churchilldowns.com.