LUNEDÌ 14 APRILE 2014. America: verso il KentuckyDerby, sulla strada di Churchill Downs. Il racconto della settimana USA a cura di Paolo Romanelli
A tre settimane dal Kentucky Derby (Gr.I, 2000 metri sabbia, 2 milioni di $) più o meno conclusi i trials per designare i 20 tre anni al via dei “due minuti più eccitanti dello sport USA”. Sabato all’ippodromo di Keeneland, davanti a 39.722 spettatori (secondo riscontro di sempre dell’impianto di Lexington) il Florida-bred Dance With Fate (C. Nakatani) ha vinto di forza la 90ma edizione delle Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Gr.I, 1800 AWT, 750.000 $). Allevato a Ocala dalla Best A Luck Farm ma di training Californiano agli ordini del “low key” Peter Eurton che lo aveva acquistato per 120.000$ al breeze-up OBS di Aprile, Dance With Fate vanta un totale somme vinte di 680.050$ e nell’occasione ha fatto felice Manny Andrade, il proprietario di Two Step Salsa, ex-Godolphin e padre di Dance With Fate alla monta alla Get Away Farm di Ocala a 7.500$. Con 108 punti Dance With Fate ha una gabbia sicura per il Run for the Roses, come dovrebbe averla anche Medal Count (Dynaformer) secondo arrivato del Blue Grass, costato 360.000 $ da yearling a Keeneland September, training di Dale Romans (il “norcino” come lo chiama Giuliano Fratini, che anni fa gli ha venduto Golden Oriental). Con 20 punti per adesso rimane fra gli “also eligible” Pablo Del Monte (Giant’s Causeway) terzo nel Bluegrass per la giubba Coolmore versione Derrick Smith e il training di Wesley Ward.
Pletcher Trio Back to Work for Kentucky Derby
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Leslie Martin
Constitution
Constitution was one of three Pletcher-trained colts on the trail to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands to breeze Sunday at the Gulfstream Parksatellite training facility, along with We Miss Artie and Intense Holiday.
In his first timed drill since the $1 million Florida Derby March 29, Constitution was timed in a leisurely :50.60.
“It was the exact same time he had in his first breeze after his allowance win (Feb. 22), so we’re very pleased with that,” said Pletcher, who now has a fourth Derby candidate in stunning Arkansas Derby (gr. I) winner Danza. “He went alone. He did it in relaxed fashion. The horse was moving super.”
Constitution is 3-for-3 in his career, all during he Gulfstream meet this year. The son of Tapit broke his maiden at first asking for WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables going seven furlongs Jan. 11 before coming right back to post a swift front-running triumph at 1 1/16 miles in the first-level allowance on Feb. 22. The bay colt dramatically made a successful jump to grade I company, closing strongly along the rail to win a photo finish over Wildcat Red in the Florida Derby.
WinStar won the 2010 Kentucky Derby with Super Saver , Pletcher’s only win in the Run for the Roses.
Starlight Racing’s Intense Holiday and Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s We Miss Artie breezed in company Sunday morning, each clocking a half mile in :48.90.
“I thought both horses worked well,” Pletcher said. “They galloped out strongly. They looked good.”
Intense Holiday finished third behind victorious Cairo Prince in the Holy Bull (gr. II) at Gulfstream Jan. 25 before shipping to Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. The Harlan’s Holiday colt won the Risen Star (gr. II) in New Orleans and finished second in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II. This was his first drill since the March 29 Louisiana Derby.
We Miss Artie finished second in the Kitten’s Joy Stakes on turf at Gulfstream Jan. 19 before finishing eighth on the main track in the Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth (gr. II) Feb. 22. The son of Artie Schiller earned his ticket to Louisville with a victory on Polytrack in the Spiral Stakes (gr. III) at Turfway Park. This, too, was the dark bay colt’s first timed drill since his most recent race.
“All three of those horses, if the weather cooperates, will breeze back here next Sunday and go to Churchill on the 22nd and have their final breeze at Churchill,” the six-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer said.
Pletcher was superbly pleased with Danza, who scored a decisive 4 3/4-length victory in Arkansas at 41-1 odds. The lightly raced son ofStreet Boss , ridden by Joe Bravo, previously made his 2014 debut after a six-month layoff at Gulfstream March 1, finishing third behind highly regarded stablemate Anchor Down.
“We’re pretty excited. We were stepping out a bit,” Pletcher said. “The horse always ran well and trained well. We felt we had one shot to put ourselves possibly in a position to get to Churchill. We were quietly expecting a good race, but, without a doubt, that exceeded everyone’s hopes and expectations.
“I’m sure right after the race most people did what I would have done if I were on the outside looking in—grabbed the past performances and said, ‘Look at this horse!’ ” Pletcher added. “When you look at it now, you see a horse that won his maiden impressively first time out at Belmont, just missed in a flying finish in the Saratoga Special (gr. II) and ran a better-than-it-looked third in an allowance race at Gulfstream.”
Pletcher, whose Arkansas Derby winner was scheduled to ship from Oaklawn Park to Churchill Downs later Sunday, reported that firm plans have yet to be made regarding riders on his four horses that qualified for the first leg of the Triple Crown.
“We have Javier (Castellano) on Constitution and we’re in the process of firming everything else up,” Pletcher said. “I’ll talk to Aron Wellman from Eclipse, but I imagine they’ll ride Joe Bravo back.”
Pletcher recently captured his 11th straight training title at Gulfstream’s Champions Meet.
“We had an excellent winter. The Gulfstream meet was good to us and we were able to ship out to win the Risen Star, Spiral, and Arkansas Derby. We had Palace Malice come back and run a big race. I’d say all in all, I’d have to say it was a successful winter,” he said.
