Up-and-comers look to shine

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Gronkowski is the name horse going into Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Discovery Stakes, but Life’s a Parlay and Plainsman will look to make a name for themselves in the 1 1/8-mile race restricted to 3-year-olds at Aqueduct.

Gronkowski, named for the New England Patriots All-Pro tight end, finished second to Justify in the Belmont Stakes. Since then, he disappointed in the Travers, running eighth, and in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, finishing sixth.

In the Travers, Gronkowski didn’t have a good trip after breaking poorly and was too far back over a speed-favoring track. In the Jockey Club, he didn’t run at all despite the race setting up perfectly for his late-running style.

“He didn’t fire,” trainer Chad Brown said. “I don’t have any excuse. He trained great. I was very surprised. The horse looks good, he’s sound, he looks healthy.”

Brown said cutting back to 1 1/8 miles from two 1 1/4-mile races “will be okay for him.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher, a sixtime winner of the Discovery, is expected to send out Life’s a Parlay or Bal Harbour, or perhaps both. Both were entered as maintrack-only entrants in Friday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Life’s a Parlay, a son of Uncle Mo who brought $725,000 as a yearling, returned from an 8 1/2-month layoff to win a firstlevel allowance race going seven furlongs Oct. 11 at Belmont. Pletcher said the layoff was due to a combination of several minor things.

Pletcher said the colt’s comeback race “was an encouraging effort.”

“He’s seemed to run well in all three starts,” he said. “It’s time to step up and see where he fits.”

Bal Harbour ran spotty early in his 3-year-old year. He was gelded during the summer and came off a seven-month layoff with a nose victory in a secondlevel allowance Oct. 21 at Keeneland. The horse he beat by a nose that day, Title Ready, also is entered in the Discovery.

Plainsman brings a two-race winning streak into the Discovery, including an allowance win over this track Nov. 3.

Roaming Union and Bon Raison look to be the pace.

KEY CONTENDERS

Life’s a Parlay, by Uncle Mo Last 3 Beyers: 94-90-72

◗ Talented colt with seemingly a lot of upside must prove he can get a distance of ground in first two-turn try.

◗ Survived a pace battle to win a maiden race at Gulfstream coming back in three weeks in January before going to sidelines.

◗ Came from off the pace after a slow start to win an October allowance going seven furlongs in solid time.

Gronkowski, by Lonhro Last 3 Beyers: 94-86-99

◗ Has really disappointed since running second to Justify in the Belmont. But before the Belmont, he had excelled on synthetic surfaces going a mile, so perhaps he will benefit from a turnback in distance.

Plainsman, by Flatter Last 3 Beyers: 96-96-90

◗ Has stepped up his game since joining the Brad Cox stable.

◗ Was compromised by wide trip in the last quarter-mile of a 1 1/8-mile allowance race at Saratoga and has come back to win two straight.