Todd Pletcher | Horse Racing Free Tips

Friday’s Insights: Full-Sis to Caledonia Road Debuts at Belmont

4th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, post time: 2:20 p.m. ET
Vegso Racing Stable homebred CELESTIAL (Quality Road), a full-sister to champion 2-year-old filly and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Caledonia Road, kicks off her career for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. She RNA'd for $700,000 as a FTKSEL yearling last year and is drawn widest of all in post nine.

Magnier, Tabor, Smith and Westerberg's Sweet as Pie (Tapit), a $490,000 FTKSEL yearling produced by a full-sister to GISW Streaming (Smart Strike), debuts for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. Her third dam is the legendary bluehen mare Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister). The 2-1 morning-line favorite has been assigned the rail. TJCIS PPs

6th-KEE, $84K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, post time: 3:55 p.m. ET
SOCIAL MATRIX (Jimmy Creed), a $500,000 FTKSEL yearling and a half-sister to champion 2-year-old filly and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine British Idiom (Flashback), takes on a full field in this debut run for Brad Cox. The OXO Equine colorbearer worked five furlongs from the gate in 1:01 3/5 (28/53) at Churchill Downs Oct. 2. TJCIS PPs

8th-SA, $61K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, post time: 7:29 p.m. ET
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert unveils $750,000 KEESEP yearling graduate BROCADE (Into Mischief). The half-sister to MSP Kansas Kis (Constitution), owned by Sarah Kelly and Jane Wiltz, worked four furlongs from the gate in :47 4/5 (2/40) at Santa Anita Sept. 24. The Into Mischief over Tiznow cross is also responsible for GSW & MGISP Comical. Aqua Julia (Exaggerator), a half-sister to GISW Mushka (Empire Maker), debuts for Richie Baltas. TJCIS PPs

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Cox Pair Heads Alcibiades Dozen

A duo of fillies from the Brad Cox barn coming off dominant maiden victories will attract plenty of attention from bettors in an evenly-matched field of 12 in Friday's opening-day GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland. The 1 1/16-mile test offers to the winner a fees-paid birth to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Breaking from the rail is Albaugh Family Stables' narrow morning-line favorite Juju's Map (Liam's Map). Hammered down to 7-10 debuting for Cox July 25 at Ellis, the $300,000 Keeneland September graduate made a menacing run to the lead before flattening out late and settling for second. Odds-on again stretching out to a mile there Sept. 3, the bay popped out to the front and never had an anxious moment in the lane, cruising to a 5 3/4-length score under minimal urging from Florent Geroux.

Geroux opted to stay aboard Juju's Map instead of keeping the call on the other half of the Cox tandem, Godolphin's Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile). Backed to 9-5 as part of an entry debuting over 6 1/2 furlongs Aug. 20 at Ellis, the homebred made the lead under her own power, shook off several early challengers and discarded her stablemate in early stretch en route to a geared-down 4 1/2-length graduation.

A pair of fillies drawn wide appear to present the biggest obstacles to Cox, who won the Alcibiades in 2019 with eventual champion British Idiom (Flashback). In the 10-hole is Milam Farm's Penny Saver (Super Saver), who owns the top Beyer figure and Thoro-Graph number in the field for a devastating maiden romp last out. Runner-up as the favorite on debut going five furlongs June 18 at Churchill, the $65,000 Fasig-Tipton October buy was fourth after a slow start stretching out on the Saratoga turf Aug. 8. Turning a corner in the mornings to the tune of an unheard-of five-furlong bullet on the Saratoga training track in :58 4/5 (1/10) Sept. 4, the dark bay backed her works up with a 9 1/2-length tour de force over this trip Sept. 24 in Louisville, earning an 85 Beyer and 6 1/2 Thoro-Graph number.

One stall to her outside is Diamond Wow (Lookin At Lucky), who ships north for Patrick Biancone following a pair of victories to start her career. Unveiled over five furlongs on the Gulfstream turf, the chestnut made the pace and edged clear in the lane to a three-length success. Switched to dirt in the seven-furlong off-turf Our Dear Peg S. there Sept. 18, she showed rating ability, sitting off the pacesetter and taking over nearing the stretch en route to a 1 3/4-length triumph. Biancone reached out to Mike Smith to take over the reins from Romero Maragh for this engagement.

Two other stakes winners rate outside chances in Jim McIngvale's Runup (Runhappy), a three-length upsetter of the Sorority S. at 14-1 Sept. 6 at Monmouth, and Miss Interpret (Street Sense), who captured the washed-off P.G. Johnson S. for Todd Pletcher Sept. 2 at Saratoga.

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Annapolis Remains Perfect With G2 Pilgrim Victory

Bass Racing's homebred Annapolis outdueled Portfolio Company in a stirring stretch drive to capture Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim going 1 1/16 miles for juveniles over the firm inner turf at Belmont Park.

The Pilgrim has seen three of its last five winners go on to capture the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, including Oscar Performance [2016], Structor [2019] and Fire At Will [2020].

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis entered out of a stylish debut win on closing weekend at Saratoga Race Course, where he rallied from off-the-pace under returning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Breaking from post two in a compact field of four, Annapolis sat second behind pacesetter Portfolio Company, who marked off splits of 24.34 seconds for the quarter-mile and 48.96 to the half-mile under Joel Rosario. At the half-mile pole, Ortiz, Jr. began to inch Annapolis closer to the leader and the two colts met up at the quarter pole after six furlongs in 1:14.46.

The front-running duo gained separation from their two competitors – Limited Liability [Jose Ortiz] and Doctor Jeff [Jose Lezcano] – and battled gamely to the wire. Annapolis needed every inch of ground to get by a stubborn Portfolio Company, putting his head on the wire in a final time of 1:41.04.

“With only four horses, there wasn't much speed in the race,” Ortiz, Jr. said, “I just broke well and tried to be close to the pace. I ended up second to the horse I had to try and beat, so I just went from there. He fought the whole way to the wire. The way he did it last time he looked like a nice horse, so we expected him to move forward and he did.”

Byron Hughes, Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant, said he was pleased with how the race unfolded.

“He broke well and Irad had him in a great spot on the outside,” Hughes said. “It was a good duel down the stretch and he was able to get a head down at the wire.”

Rosario won five races on Saturday's card at Churchill Downs, including Grade 3 scores with Knicks Go in the Lukas Classic and aboard Plainsman in the Ack Ack, both for trainer Brad Cox.

The veteran rider said he had no complaints about his trip aboard maiden-winner Portfolio Company, who was exiting a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on September 1 at Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown.

“He responded well. The other horse [Annapolis] came to me a little bit early and then I had to just keep moving inside. It was a very good race in the end,” Rosario said. “When he came to me, I had to hold my position. Turning for home, [Annapolis] moved a little early which engaged me to move forward a little more than I wanted to. You just have to ride them the way the race is playing.”Annapolis returned $3.30 to win off a $2 wager and increased his lifetime earnings to $165,000.

Limited Liability was third, 3 1/4-lengths ahead of Doctor Jeff. Midnight Worker and City At Night were scratched.

A Kentucky homebred, Annapolis is by War Front and out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare My Miss Sophia, who was also conditioned by Pletcher.

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Pletcher’s Platoon Charts Course After Weekend Stakes At Belmont

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sent out three starters in Saturday's Grade 1 Champagne with maiden Commandperformance closing to finish second ahead of stablemates Wit and My Prankster in the one-turn mile for juveniles won by Jack Christopher.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Commandperformance lunged at the start of his six-furlong debut on September 6 over a muddy and sealed track at Saratoga, rallying to finish second.

On Saturday, with Tyler Gaffalione up from the outermost post 6, the Union Rags gray closed to finish second, just 2 3/4-lengths to Jack Christopher and seven lengths in front of Wit.

“He ran well first time out,” said Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant Byron Hughes. “He came back and put in a good breeze here and we expected him to run up to his training. He got a good post position and Tyler rode him well. He ran a big race.”

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Gainesway Stable's Wit was an impressive eight-length winner of the six-furlong G3 Sanford in July at Saratoga ahead of a troubled second in the seven-furlong G1 Hopeful where he stumbled at the break.

On Saturday, with regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, Wit was off a step slow and encountered traffic trouble approaching the quarter pole.

“He got in a little trouble on the turn,” Hughes said. “Irad said there was a tired horse in front of him and that he was going in and out and was trying to find the best route. He couldn't find a hole right away and that might have cost him a few lengths.”

Robert and Lawana Low's My Prankster was a 10-length maiden winner at first asking sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs on Aug. 21 at the Spa, but failed to make an impact in the Champagne.

“We didn't have any excuse for him after the race or this morning. We'll regroup with him and go for there,” Hughes said.

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post exited the inside post under Ortiz Jr. in the G1 Woodward but was forced to rally five-wide down the lane to complete the trifecta, 2 1/2-lengths to Art Collector.

“It was a big effort. He went the widest out of everybody. He was still grinding it out there at the end,” Hughes said. “I thought it was a good effort. A little more pace and maybe back to two turns might help, but the effort was definitely what we wanted to see from him for sure.”

Spendthrift Farm homebred Following Sea, a 3-year-old Runhappy colt, has made a trio of starts for Pletcher this year, besting elders in an allowance sprint in June at Belmont ahead of a second via disqualification in the nine-furlong G1 Haskell on July 17. Last out, Following Sea finished third in the seven-furlong G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Aug. 28 at the Spa.

Following Sea breezed a half-mile solo in 48.38 Saturday on the Belmont dirt training track in preparation for a start in the six-furlong G2, $250,000 Vosburgh on Oct/ 9, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“He did it all well within himself,” said Hughes regarding the breeze. “He had a good gallop out and cooled out OK. He looked good this morning. We're very happy with the way he's training right now. Hopefully he runs like he's been training.”

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