Pletcher Pair Prep for Belmont

Todd Pletcher-trained Quality Road colts Dr Post and Farmington Road worked in company Saturday over the Belmont main track as they eye the GI Belmont S. in one week’s time. With Oaklawn S. runner-up and GI Arkansas Derby (Nadal {Blame}’s division) fourth finisher Farmington Road broke off slightly in front of of his Unbridled S.-winning stablemate, and the pair finished together while covering four panels in :48.87 (9/37) before galloping out more or less in tandem (XBTV Video).

“I was very pleased with the work,” Pletcher said. “I was a little concerned going in, working the two horses together, but I felt like that was the best match-up for each horse. They worked in company together last week at Palm Beach Downs and it seemed to go well (5f, 1:01.27, 2/3, XBTV Video)… I thought both horses relaxed nicely in the early part of their work, finished up strongly and galloped out very, very nice. All in all, it went well.”

Pletcher trained top sire and four-time Grade I winner Quality Road himself for the late Ned Evans.

“You can see similarities in both of them to their sire,” said Pletcher of his Belmont-bound pair. “I would say that Dr Post looks more like Quality Road because he’s a bit of a bigger horse, but you can definitely see a similarity in both of them.”

The post Pletcher Pair Prep for Belmont appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Classic-Placed Commissioner Sold to Saudi Arabia

Commissioner (A.P. Indy–Flaming Heart, by Touch Gold), the sire of 22 winners from his first crop including the Grade III-winning Island Commish, has been acquired by HRH Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud for his new farm in Saudi Arabia. The deal was brokered by Andrew Cary of Cary Bloodstock in Lexington.

Bred and raced by WinStar Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, Commissioner-a member of the final crop for his legendary sire-was beaten four lengths into second by Tonalist (Tapit) in the 2014 GII Peter Pan S. and was overhauled by that rival to miss by a head in the GI Belmont S. Remaining in training for a 4-year-old campaign, the bay added the GIII Skip Away S. and GII Hawthorne Gold Cup H. and retired with a record of 5-3-2 from 15 starts and earnings of $962,237.

In addition to Island Commish, Commissioner is the sire of the additional stakes winners Two Last Words and Soros, the Grade II-placed Powerfulattraction and the SP Viv.

A half-brother to GSW and GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Laugh Track (Distorted Humor), Commissioner is also a half-brother to Mythical Bride (Street Cry {Ire}), dam of Eclipse Award and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Vino Rosso (Curlin).

HRH Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud is a 33-year-old entrepreneur and industrialist and a son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, ruler of Saudi Arabia. He is a brother to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This is his first stallion acquisition for his new farm in Saudi Arabia.

The post Classic-Placed Commissioner Sold to Saudi Arabia appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights