By Murray Evans
The Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - White Cat surged from fourth and held off Deep Shadow by a head at the wire to win the $100,000 Grade III Transylvania Stakes for 3-year-olds on Keeneland's turf Friday, opening day of the track's spring meet.

It was White Cat's first race at Keeneland since last April 26, when he made his racing debut. He covered the mile on firm turf in 1:34.98.

The chestnut son of Mountain Cat finished second in his last two races, both on the turf at Gulfstream Park in Florida. Trainer Ken McPeek thought White Cat would run better on the turf at Keeneland.

"After his last race in Florida, we felt he would like the grass course at Keeneland better," McPeek said. "It has more cushion to it, a little more give, and is a little deeper. So we made a decision to back off and get him to Keeneland."

On Friday, White Cat broke cleanly before easing back inside to follow early leaders Hypnotist and Deep Shadow. Deep Shadow and jockey Kent Desormeaux took the lead at the top of the stretch, but White Cat and jockey Shane Sellers angled four wide and went ahead at the sixteenth pole.

"It is very emotional right now," said Sellers, who missed much of the last two seasons after suffering a knee injury while riding in December 2000. "I am fighting back the tears. A place that I always loved was Keeneland."

White Cat paid $9, $5.60 and $5. Deep Shadow, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, paid $7.40 and $7.40.

A hard-charging Christmas Away, ridden by Pat Day, finished third, a length behind Deep Shadow, and paid $9.20.

"If it had been a little longer, we might have wore (White Cat) down," Day said.

White Cat won for the third time in 11 starts, but the first time since last November. The colt earned $62,000 for owner Raymond Cottrell, who owns a car dealership in Brandenburg.