Despite having one of the highest athletic ceilings of his class, trainer Todd Pletcher said Charge It has spent most of his 3-year-old season playing catch-up.
The calendar is the most obvious indicator. The Tapit colt didn't make his first start until January of his sophomore season, well after most of the division's top competitors had already gotten their feet wet. He went into the Kentucky Derby with just three starts under his belt, and he came out of it with a displaced soft palate that required minor surgery, and some time on the sideline.
From a scheduling standpoint, Charge It hasn't run as often as many of his contemporaries, but that wasn't where Pletcher was concerned about his colt keeping the pace – it was between his ears.
Following Charge It's five-furlong breeze on the main track at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 13, Pletcher said the colt's mind has started to catch up with his body.
“You can see, mentally, he's made big strides,” the trainer said. “He's a horse that's continuing to develop and get better and better, and this morning's work was another indication of that.”
“He's always been a physically imposing horse,” Pletcher continued. “I'd say it's really been more the mental maturity than physical, because he's always had the body to go with the ability.”
Charge It covered the five furlongs 1:01.01 in preparation for the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 27.
“I loved the way he did it, moving great, and galloped out really strongly on a track that's not real fast,” Pletcher said outside his barn after the breeze.
Many of the horses Charge It will face in the Travers will be familiar rivals from his 17th-place finish in this year's Kentucky Derby, including top three finishers Rich Strike, Epicenter, and Zandon.
Pletcher described Charge It's Derby experience as “a bit of a mess,” but he quickly noted that the colt in Saratoga is not the same one that entered the starting gate at Churchill Downs, and he's especially grown from his breakout performance as a runner-up in the G1 Florida Derby in April.
“I think he's caught up,” Pletcher said. “He still lacks a little bit of seasoning compared to some of the others in the Travers, but from an ability standpoint, I think he's got enough to have a chance in there. I think he's matured a lot since Florida Derby day, but I think there's still more to come.”
The colt showed major flashes of his development during his comeback start from throat surgery on July 2 in the G3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park, where he trounced a heavily overmatched field by 23 lengths.
When a racehorse does what they're supposed to do against inferior competition with such authority, the question becomes what can be gleaned from that effort that can be applied toward the greater goals. Where does Charge It's Dwyer romp position him amidst what appears to be a deep Travers field?
“I don't think he's going to win by 23,” Pletcher said.
John Velazquez, who rode Charge It in the Dwyer, will have the riding assignment in the Travers for owner Whisper Hill Farm.
The post ‘He’s Made Big Strides’: Charge It’s Mental Maturity Continues To Develop Ahead Of Travers Start appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
