likeable | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Haiku Handicapper Presented By Form2Win: 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

Time to analyze the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile field, in post position order, in the form of Haiku; a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

To read previous editions of The Haiku Handicapper, click here.

#1 – Camp Hope
Impressive debut
Launches him in the deep end
This is a big ask

#2 – King Fury
Matured last time out
He's bred for a day like this
Must keep progressing

#3 – Reinvestment Risk
He's the class leader
If we pretend to ignore
Jackie's Warrior

#4 – Likeable
Late-bloom potential
Given his form, pedigree
Eye him for a price

#5 – Essential Quality
Classy pedigree
Classy Grade 1 progression
All the tools are there

#6 – Keepmeinmind
Shock second last out
And he nabs Jose Ortiz
A “hit the board” threat

#7 – Jackie's Warrior
The mountain to scale
Does he meet the hype head-on
Or begin descent?

#8 – Classier
Others have done more
But you can't ignore his barn
Off a hot debut

#9 – Sittin On Go
His dad loved Keeneland
Short-stretch finish line won't help
His deep-closing ways

#10 – Dreamer's Disease
The lesser entry
Of the Diodoro pair
Put bluntly, he'd shock

#11 – Next
Dual surface winner
Gaudy last-out score misleads
Not sure it's his spot

#12 – Hot Rod Charlie
Found new life on dirt
Great fit for an “other than”
Not the Breeders' Cup

#13 – Rombauer
Switch to dirt paid off
Another that might be felled
By Keeneland's short stretch

#14 – Calibrate
He'll have to run wide
And show something he didn't
In his limp class jump

Prediction
Good day for Darley
“Quality” tops Likeable
Eight, three fill it out

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Milestone In The Breeders’ Cup? Pletcher Has Five Chances To Hit 5,000 During World Championships

Trainer Todd Pletcher said it would be “kind of cool” to hit his next career milestone during this weekend's Breeders' Cup World Championships. Heading into this weekend's action, Pletcher has saddled a total of 4,999 winners; on his next trip to the winner's circle, the trainer will become be just the eighth in history to reach 5,000 victories.

“It's a tribute to a lot of great horses over the years,” Pletcher said from Keeneland on Tuesday. “A lot of hard work from a lot of people. It really takes a huge team to supervise all that, so we're grateful, we're hoping it happens soon.”

That milestone win could come at Gulfstream Park on Thursday with Seize The Hay in a claiming race, or in a pair of undercard stakes at Keeneland on Friday (Mo Ready and No Word in the Bryan Station, or Farmington Road and You're To Blame in the G2 TAA Stakes, formerly the Marathon).

Should none of those five make their way to the winner's circle, Pletcher will have three shots to hit the milestone during the Future Stars Friday at the World Championships. Those chances include: Mutasaabeq (Juvenile Turf, 5-1), Union Gables (Juvenile Filly Turf, 20-1), and Likeable (Juvenile, 15-1).

Alternatively, a pair of entrants at Aqueduct on Friday (Microsecond and Malathaat) might be his next trainee in the winner's circle.

Another two Breeders' Cup entrants present opportunities on Saturday: Halladay in the Mile (12-1) and Valiance in the Distaff (12-1).

The lowest odds on a Pletcher trainee in this year's Breeders' Cup are the 5-1 morning line chance given to Mutasaabeq in the Juvenile Turf. Considering he won the the Classic last year with Vino Rosso, Pletcher acknowledged that this year's Championships have a slightly different feel.

“Last year we were fortunate enough to not only win the Classic, but coming in we felt like we had a big chance,” Pletcher said. “We're coming in with a little different group this year. We have some young horses that are doing really well, but we don't have that clear-cut standout.

“It seems like a lot of times you get right on the cusp of the milestone and then have trouble getting through. We had five chances at Belmont last weekend and we couldn't quite get there, but I suppose if it were to happen in a Breeders' Cup race, it'd be kind of cool.”

Thanks to the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), which has assembled a group of pool reporters providing independent reporting to members unable to be on the Keeneland grounds this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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Preakness: Pletcher ‘Weighing Out All Of Our Options’ With Happy Saver, Dr Post

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday he is still unsure if he will enter Happy Saver or Dr Post in the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness October 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Owned by Wertheimer et Frere, Happy Saver, a chestnut son of Super Saver, is unbeaten in three lifetime starts, including a winning stakes debut in the Federico Tesio on September 7 at Laurel Park.

The Kentucky homebred worked a half-mile in 49.03 seconds over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga on Friday morning.

“I like the way he worked. He's doing well,” Pletcher said. “I haven't decided yet. We'll just continue to survey what shakes out here.”

St Elias Stable's Dr Post, a last out fourth in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on September 5 as the favorite, worked an easy half-mile in 50.06 seconds over the Oklahoma training track on Saturday morning. The son of Quality Road was a respective second and third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 20 and the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 18 at Monmouth Park.

“We're weighing out all of our options. We'll try to sort it all out this week,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher also indicated that the Grade 1, $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 10 against older horses going 1 1/4 miles would be a possible option for either horse should they skip the Preakness.

On Saturday, Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable and Stonestreet Stables' Likeable powered home to an 8 1/4-length maiden victory. The 2-year-old son of freshman sire Frosted extended his advantage at every point of call going the one-turn mile and registered an 81 Beyer for the win.

“We always liked him,” Pletcher said. “He had a solid debut but took a big step forward [Saturday]. He handled the stretch out well and galloped out strongly. We were very happy with it.”

Pletcher was non-committal to a next start but said a stakes race would likely be in order.

“We'll let the dust settle a little bit,” Pletcher said. “He'll probably move up into a stake of some sort. The [Grade 1, $250,000] Champagne [on October 10] is here, and he's now won here at the distance. It's also back in three weeks so we'll have to play it by ear.”

Bred in Kentucky by co-owner Stonestreet Stables, Likeable was purchased for $350,000 from last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Elm Tree Farm, and is out of the stakes-winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Dashing Debby, who also produced stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed Dawn the Destroyer.

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Frosted Gets Second Saturday Winner at Belmont

6th-Belmont, $61,110, Msw, 9-19, 2yo, 1m, 1:37.56, ft.
LIKEABLE (c, 2, Frosted–Dashing Debby {SW}, by Medaglia d’Oro) endured a fairly eventful trip in his rained-off Saratoga debut Aug. 22, racing wide on the turn and striking final-furlong interference before just missing by a head. Stretching out to a mile and remaining on the dirt for this second try, the $350,000 yearling was the 23-10 second choice to odds-on Engrave (Flatter) and jumped well to head them off out of the chute. Always going better than the chalk, Likeable began to widen on the turn, took a commanding advantage into the lane and drew well clear while racing on his incorrect lead for the length of the stretch. Likeable, the sixth winner for his freshman sire (by Tapit) and second on the afternoon, had 8 1/4 lengths on first-timer Rational Choice (Candy Ride {Arg}), while Engrave faded to third. The winner is a half to Bronze Star (Tapit), MSW, $195,555; Dawn the Destroyer (Speightstown), SW & MGISP, $556,405; and a yearling colt by Speightstown that was acquired by Shadwell for $800,000 at Keeneland September earlier this week. Dashing Debby, one of 11 stakes winners from the second crop of Medaglia d’Oro, foaled a Curlin colt this year and was bred back to Quality Road. Sales history: $350,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $49,050. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable & Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher.

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