Multiple Grade 1 Winners Fear On Thursday, I worked at the Oklahoma Dart Training Track in Saratoga on June 7th, preparing for a Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap.
According to a watchmaker with the New York Racing Association, the four-year-old Light Colt, trained by Hall of Fame Todd Pletcher, wrestling through the Tuscan skies of stakes in 49.85 seconds. After covering the same distance with a 49 flat in Oklahoma last week, they marked the pair’s second work a few weeks later.
“He looked great,” Pletcher said of the furious. “Another typical wind from him, it makes it very easy and impressive. I’m very pleased with him.”
Fierceness, the winner of last year’s Spa Traver (G1) with his final seasonal bow at Churchill Downs on May 2, landing a score of 1 1/16 miles (G2) with a score of 1/2 length, setting the track record final time at 1:40.66.
Pletcher said he was pleased with how intense the intensity manifested from the powerful performance.
“He had really good energy levels. His appetite was amazing. He’s really mature as a four-year-old and is gaining weight,” Pletcher said.
As the ferocious fights for the Met Mile, he does it for the first time from Saratoga’s shot, and runs the distance for the first time as a boy from a far offboard finish in Champagne (G1). The shot offers a unique composition between 1-1 1/2 turns, and Pletcher said that ferociousness has both mental and physical talent.
“The draw is very important and we’re thinking about how we can get away from it,” Pletcher said. “He’s a really laidback horse, but when you ask him he turns it on.”
Pletcher said Tuscan Sky, owned by Fierceness co-owner Repole Stable, headed to Monmouth Mile (G3) on June 14th and last placed fifth in Turf at Fort Mercy (G2) at Big A Belmont in Monmouth Park on May 2nd.
In addition to the ferociousness, Pletcher is considering a Grade 1 winner mind frame for the Met Mile, but there is also a son of the Constitution considering Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill on June 28th. Mind Frame Last, owned by Lepool Stable with St. Elias Stable, won 7 Furlong Churchill Downs (G1) on May 3rd.
“We’re not ruled out anything,” Pletcher said of MindFrame’s next start. “We’ll blow the wind off him tomorrow, see how it goes, and assume the weather will work together. Obviously, if we can keep it, we don’t want to drive him and the intensity away from each other, but we’ll leave the options open for now.”
The Churchill Downs victory marked the second start of this year’s MINDFRAME after starting the season with a victory at the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) in March. Last year, Mindframe finished second for Dornock in both the Belmont Stakes in Monmouth and Haskell (G1) before a nearly eight months of rest.
Pletcher said it’s rewarding to see MindFrame Notch win a Grade 1.
“It was big,” Pletcher said. “We wanted that Grade 1 victory for him, and we wanted to do what he did to win 78, miles, one mile, one in sixteenth.
Also on the Thursday Work tab were two top rivals: Grade 1 winner Leslie Rose and dual-grade stakes winner Grand Sonata Whisper Hill Farm.
Leslie’s Rose was the final third of Vaglance (G3) with Big A at Belmont on May 4th, with 6 1/2 furlongs at Belmont, and was working half-mile solo in 49.25 seconds as he targeted a return to two turns with Ogden Phipps (G1) with 9 furlongs on June 6th.
“I think she did well, and I think we’re planning on it for Ogden Phipps because we got the courage to do so,” Pletcher said.
The Grand Sonata, the final sixth place in Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland in April, blew half a mile at 50.42 with the Grade 2 Noble Confessioner. The Grand Sonata, which won the Kentucky Turf Cup (G2) at the Kentucky Downs in September, has been pointed out with an eye to returning to the Kentucky Downs later this summer with the Belmont Gold Cup (G2) that will take two miles to June 6th.
“It was a typical job for him for dirt. He’s a better grass horse,” Pletcher said.
The Belmont Gold Cup will be offering an automatic sleeper for Group 1 Melbourne Cup (G1) on November 4th at Flemington Racecourse in Victoria, Australia.
Multiple Grade 1 winner locks from Eclipse Sorlarbred Partners and Walmac Farm finished fourth in Alysheba.
“He’ll probably be windy next week,” Pletcher said. “It’s not until July 4th, so I have a little time.”
Locked Locke, the dominant 8 1/2 length winner of the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 1st, ran with Alisheva’s final six. He tried to bid five times for the stretch, but he was able to only pass two rivals and as a steady fell his track record, he settled in fourth place.
“I think it was impossible for him to make up for the ground in that scenario,” Pletcher said of the Cigar Mile (G2) winner. “He was off pace so he was halfway at 48 (seconds) and can’t see achievement-breaking races run that often.”
The locked boy asked before the second 7-1/4 length long before the victory of the Rally Half Length at Breeders Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, before the third game behind the ferociousness of the Breeders Cup boys at Santa Anita. He missed most of his sophomore year but came back at aplomb in an optional claim sprint at Belmont in Big A, closing out the short but sweet campaign with a 1 1/2 length victory in the Cigar Mile.
“I think he got a bit lost in the shuffle like he was a 3 year old, but he was in his third year in the Breeders’ Cup. “He was really good at two, missed it for a while and then came back impressively to win the allowance race and the cigar mile. Unfortunately, he didn’t get off well in the Pegasus (World Cup, G1) and still ran second. The Santa Anita Handicap was an amazing victory.
The Eclipse thoroughbred partner could also be represented by Ogden Phipps by Grade 1 winner Candied, the final winner of Allaire Dupont Distaff in Pimlico on Friday. Candied, co-owned with Bobby Frey, returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since June, with a three-length score designed by Irad Ortiz Jr.
“I have never spoken to Aron (Wellman of Eclipse Sorlarbred Partners) since DuPont, but we’ve been part of the idea of seeing how she did and how she bouncing back,” Pletcher said. “So far, she’s come back really well, so I think (Phips) is in consideration.”
Pletcher, a four-time Belmont Stakes winner, could once again be represented by the Triple Crown final gem, as two students will be able to start on the 10-furlong test.
The Repre Stubble Grande, who was scratched by the Kentucky Derby due to foot issues, recently arrived in Saratoga.
“Grande is uplifting and has gotten better this morning. No schedule has been chosen for him yet. We’ve not ruled out anything,” Pletcher says. “I talked a bit with Bobby Frey and it’s the same (in the case of Kurds). Nothing was ruled out.”
Pletcher aims to add past Belmont Stakes to Rags to Riches to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013, Tapwrite in 2017, and Mo Donegal in 2022 to Rags to Riches to Riches.
