Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sent out graded stakes winners Charge It and Far Bridge on Thursday for their first works since their respective stakes scores on July 8 at Belmont Park.
Under mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, Charge It went a half-mile in 49 seconds flat over the Saratoga Race Course main track in his first breeze since capturing the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban. The Whisper Hill Farm homebred son of Tapit remains on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 5 at the Spa, a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Boasting a record of 10-4-3-0 and earnings of $717,600, Charge It was a 23-length winner of last year's Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont Park following a 17th-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. He entered the Suburban from unplaced finishes in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap and Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap.
“He worked really well. We're on target for the Whitney,” Pletcher said. “The way he came out of his last race, he had good energy and was moving great. He's settled in really well here. He seems like a horse that's in really good form.”
Charge It is out of the Indian Charlie mare I'll Take Charge, who is out of the prolific Grade 1-winner and producer Take Charge Lady. Named the 2014 Broodmare of the Year, Take Charge Lady produced 2013 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Will Take Charge, Grade 1 winners Take Charge Indy and As Time Goes By, as well as Charming – the dam of 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Take Charge Brandi and multiple Grade 1-winner Omaha Beach.
I'll Take Charge was bought by Whisper Hill for $2.2 million at the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, and only won one of her five starts but never finished worse than third.
LSU Stables' Far Bridge went a half-mile in 49.95 in company with Al's Rocket. The move was his first since a one-length victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational on July 8, where he registered a career-high 95 Beyer.
“I wanted to breeze him on the turf today, but I didn't like how the forecast looked, so I'm glad we got it in yesterday. He went well,” Pletcher said.
Never worse than second in five lifetime starts, Far Bridge was a two-time winner for his previous conditioner Christophe Clement before the son of English Channel was sold privately to Lawrence Sarf's LSU Stables. He was second in both the Grade 2 American Turf on May 6 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 3 at Belmont before his Belmont Derby conquest.
Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Far Bridge is out of the Kitten's Joy mare Fitpitcher. His third dam is multiple graded-stakes winner Pleasant Temper – the granddam of graded stakes winning millionaire Long Range Toddy.
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