Tag: Todd Pletcher

Despite Wide Trip, Candy Ride Filly Captures Spa Maiden For Pletcher

Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) had all the momentum as the field turned into the stretch for Sunday's fifth at Saratoga, a six-furlong maiden for 2-year-old fillies. The only question was whether or not she could get up in time after racing seven wide on the turn. It took some doing, but she got the job done, winning a race despite showing signs that she's still on the immature side.

Ridden by Luis Saez, Candied was in mid-pack early as Ella Elizabeth (Take Charge Indy) set the pace. On the far turn, Irad Ortiz Jr. darted to the rail aboard Chad Brown first-time-starter Catherine Wheel (Into Mischief). It appeared to be the winning move as the Into Mischief filly opened up by 1 1/2 lengths at the eighth pole. Meanwhile, with a wall of horses in front of him, Saez took the widest route, but it didn't matter as his filly won by three-quarters of a length.

“She had to lose some ground, but she had her face clean and picked up some momentum. I thought it was a quality effort,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Pletcher continued: “We expected her to be a little closer. She had been pretty quick getting away from the gate. She's also been a little bit green. We actually put some blinkers on her a few times to test them out. We felt like she was still learning. She was one of those who was still looking around with the blinkers. So we decided to take them off.”

Pletcher also noted that Candied was having problems changing leads in the stretch.

“That's something we've been working on a lot with her, her lead changes,” the trainer said.  “She's been kind of slow to get totally professional about that. I think there is big room for improvement for her.”

Candied is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and was a $165,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton July yearling sale. The breeder is Buck Pond Farm Inc.

She paid $12.60 and ran the six furlongs in 1:10.89.

The priciest filly in the race was Munny Rockette (Munnings). She sold for $1 million at the OBS March Sale. Trained by Bill Mott, she finished third, beaten 4 1/4 lengths.

 

5th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-20, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.89, ft, 3/4 length.
CANDIED (f, 2, Candy Ride {Arg}–Toni Tools {SW, $193,339}, by Roaring Fever), a 5-1 shot, took her time getting into stride and was in chase mode early from several paths off the rail. She began to inch up into contention into the turn and jockey Luis Saez steered her outside to position her widest of the bunch coming into the lane. With plenty of late run despite drifting towards the rail, Candied got up alongside leader Catherine Wheel (Into Mischief) with a sixteenth to run and turned that rival away to prevail on the wire by three-quarters of a length with favorite Munny Rockette (Munnings) back in third. Toni Tools is responsible for a Solomini colt this year and was bred back to Mind Control. Sales History: $165,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Buck Pond Farm, Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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Travers Candidates Breeze On Both Coasts

No fewer than four of the seven 3-year-olds expected for Saturday's GI Travers S. got their final tune-ups Saturday morning, three over the Saratoga main track and one at Del Mar.

Mage (Good Magic), the GI Kentucky Derby hero who figures no worse than the second betting choice behind Forte (Violence) in the 10-furlong feature, breezed three-quarters of a mile in 1:15.56 for trainer Gustavo Delgago. In what was described as a maintenance move beneath exercise rider J.J. Delgado, the son of former 'TDN Rising Star' Puca (Big Brown) went in splits of :13.60, :26.40 and :50.40 before galloping out seven panels in 1:29.33.

“He did well. It was just a maintenance breeze,” said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., assistant to his father. “He did exactly what my Dad told J.J. to do. He wanted 1:15 or 1:16 for six furlongs and that's exactly what he did.”

It was the third work locally for Mage, who will look to step forward off a runner-up effort in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. July 22.

“He likes it here. It's been three weeks already that we're here and he shows us all the good signs,” Delgado, Jr. said. “It helps him to be at the track with time. In the Preakness, we arrived Wednesday and ran Saturday and for the Haskell it was the same thing, we got there earlier in the week and ran that Saturday. But here, he's been able to adapt.”

 

 

 

Forte, who did not wear blinkers in his four-furlong workout that was timed in :48.33 last Saturday, was refitted with the equipment Saturday morning and covered a similar distance in :50.50 in the company of his year-older stablemate Bright Future (Curlin).

“He looked super, was moving really well and got into a nice rhythm,” said Pletcher of the recent GII Jim Dandy S. winner. “Sometimes if you put them [blinkers] on all the time, you lose a little effect. We were just looking to keep him as good as he is going into this. We got a good, steady work and a good strong gallop out. He was well within himself throughout and I think he's moving terrific. He seems really happy, so we're trying to just keep him happy.”

Stable companion 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) was wearing blinkers for the first time Saturday morning when going a half-mile on his own in :49.22. Jose Ortiz, who replaces Luis Saez aboard the gray colt, was in the irons. Saez picks up the ride on Mage, while Javier Castellano sticks with GI Belmont S. hero Arcangelo (Arrogate).

“His weakness so far has been getting out of the gate and getting into a good position,” said Pletcher. “We're hoping that will help a little with that, maybe keep him a little more focused throughout the race. We galloped him earlier in the week with blinkers and he seemed to be dialed in a little more, and it seemed like that was the case breezing this morning.”

 

 

 

National Treasure (Quality Road), who defeated Mage into third in the GI Preakness S. May 20, went five furlongs over the Del Mar main track in 1:00.40 Saturday morning.

“It went well,” said trainer Bob Baffert, who took the blinkers off the colt and will leave them off for the Travers. “I was happy with him and everything went as planned. He's doing well and we're looking forward to it.”

National Treasure, a latest sixth in the Belmont, is scheduled to depart Southern California Tuesday, weather permitting, and will be accompanied by 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Lion (Justify), winner of the GI Woody Stephens S., and GIII Dwyer S. hero Fort Bragg (Tapit), each an intended runner in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. One horse that will not make the trip is Reincarnate (Good Magic), who will pass the Travers in favor of the GI Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 23.

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Pletchers Honored With Marylou Whitney Award For Commitment To The Backstretch Community

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, along with his wife Tracy, received the Marylou Whitney Award from the New York Race Track Chaplaincy for their continuing devotion and support of the backstretch community at the organization's 16th annual fundraising brunch at the Saratoga National Golf Club, the organization said in a release Wednesday.

“I can't say enough about what the New York Race Track Chaplaincy organization does for the backstretch community,” Pletcher said. “It provides so much more than spiritual help. I look at it like the mayor's office where everyone goes when they need help. On behalf of Tracy and our children, thank you very much for this honor and for your support of the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy.”

As is the custom, the Pletchers were presented with a framed racing scene created by equine artist Tom Chapman from the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. In a surprise appearance, Pletcher's mentor, fellow Hall of Famer trainer D. Wayne Lukas, made the presentation.

“God blessed Todd with extraordinary talent and he has shown class, dignity and integrity throughout his career,” Lukas said. “In addition to their own family, Todd and Tracy have also adopted the backstretch family and they are most deserving of this honor.”

The brunch attracted a record crowd of approximately 350 individuals from all segments of the racing industry and included such supporters as Mandy Pope, Jo Ann and Paul Oreffice and Len Green.

Among those in attendance were: Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), NYS Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Agriculture and Markets Elizabeth Wolters, trainer Jena Antonucci and Hall of Famer riders Javier Castellano, Angel Cordero Jr., Edgar Prado, and John Velazquez. Liz Bishop, the longtime television news anchor for the CBS affiliate in Albany, once again served as emcee.

Previous honorees have included Andy Serling, Irad Ortiz Jr., Anne Campbell, Edgar Prado, Michael Dubb, Fay and David Donk, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, Letty and Kiaran McLaughlin, Lisa and Kenny Troutt, Debbie and Terry Finley and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

 

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Liam’s Map’s Deterministic Is Sire’s Newest ‘Rising Star’ at Saratoga

Displaying some single-minded ways in the post parade, where he proved himself quite the handful, St Elias Stable, Ken Langone, C. Steven Duncker and Vicarage Stable's Deterministic (Liam's Map–Giulio's Jewel, by Speightstown) was off slowly on top of his pre-race antics, but he overcame it all to relentlessly grind his way to 'TDN Rising Star' honors in Saturday's fifth race from Saratoga.

Clearly last from the stalls, the dark bay colt lingered at the back of the field for a time, then was content to tuck into sixth as Informed Patriot (Hard Spun) set the pace in advance of 24-1 outside Hurricane Nelson (Khozan). Appearing to be climbing into the dirt, Deterministic was taken out three wide, was more settled on the turn and began to zero in on the leaders nearing the stretch. As many as six paths off the inside as the field hit the top of the stretch, the colt bumped soundly with 6-5 favorite Eliminate (Curlin), but athletically regained his stride and steamed down the center of the track to nail Hurricane Nelson in the shadow of the wire to score at odds just north of 7-2. Eliminate stayed on for third.

Deterministic is the three winner from three of racing age for the three-time winning Giulio's Jewel and his hammer price of $625,000 was the most expensive of the 58 (75 through the ring) of his sire's progeny reported as sold in 2022. Most of the action in Deterministic's pedigree is in the third dam, the stakes-winning Amelia. A half-sister to the talented European sprinter Bertolini (Danzig) and SW Alchemilla (Deputy Minister), she is the dam of seven winners, among them five full black-type scorers, including GSW & GISP Kindergarden Kid (Dynaformer); MGSW & GISP Rainha da Bateria (Broken Vow); Japanese group winners Rabbit Run (Tapit) and Asakusa Genki (Stormy Atlantic); GSW Assateague (Stormy Atlantic); and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up He's Had Enough (Tapit). Amelia's dam Aquilegia (Alydar) was a full-sister to champion Althea. Giulio's Jewel, a half-sister to the GII Lake Placid S. runner-up Duff One (Harlan's Holiday), passed away after foaling a Frosted filly in 2022.

Deterministic is the third 'Rising Star' for Liam's Map.

5th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-12, 2yo, 7f, 1:24.18, ft, 1/2 length.
DETERMINISTIC, c, 2, by Liam's Map
1st Dam: Giulio's Jewel, by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Acadiana, by Tiznow
3rd Dam: Amelia, by Dixieland Band
Sales history: $625,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree, or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, C. Steven Duncker, and Vicarage Stable; B-Hinkle Farms (KY); T-Christophe Clement.

 

 

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