Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
GULFSTREAM Pletcher could have three runners in Pegasus Turf
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher may find himself in need of a bigger mailbox once invitations start going out next week for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, to be decided here on Jan. 23.
Pletcher entered the weekend with two likely starters for the Pegasus Turf, Social Paranoia and Largent. He came out of the weekend with three possible invitees after Colonel Liam registered an easy 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Tropical Park Derby. Pletcher also won Sunday’s allowance feature on grass with the Grade 1-placed Mo Ready, who he said on Monday is not under consideration for the Pegasus Turf.
Colonel Liam was particularly impressive, returning for the first time since finishing a troubled fourth against a starstudded field in the Saratoga Derby more than four months ago. He overcame a wide trip and drew off with authority to win for the second time in three starts on grass while earning a near career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure. After the race, Pletcher expressed his desire to run Colonial Liam in the Pegasus Turf if given the opportunity by the selection committee.
“I thought it was an impressive race – he had to make a bit of an early move and kept going,” said Pletcher. “He’s really taken to the turf. We saw that when he won the allowance race at Saratoga. He got into a little trouble in the stakes at Saratoga. We gave him a little freshening, he came back and trained great, and we’re really happy to have him back. Hopefully this earns him a spot into the Pegasus Turf. It is an invitational, so I’ll lobby for it.”
Mo Ready, third after setting the pace in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby going 1 1/4 miles early this fall, rated nicely just off the pace turning back to a mile on Sunday before rallying to command and holding safe a belated bid from longshot African Heritage to register his third win in eight tries on grass.
The first list of invitees for the Pegasus Turf will be announced on Jan. 3.
While Pletcher has been fast getting himself a reputation as a “turf” trainer here this winter, he hasn’t lost his touch with the young horses, either. On Saturday, Pletcher sent out yet another unstarted 2-year-old, Amount, to register a one-sided victory in his debut. The son of Curlin won by a widening 2 3/4 lengths, going seven furlongs at first asking for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. Amount is a half-brother to Grade 1-placed Mucho and Grade 3 winner Size.
“It’s exciting when you have a horse by Curlin, bred to go long, shows up and runs well going seven furlongs,” Pletcher said. “I thought the last couple of breezes that he showed improvement so we were happy to get him started. We have some options, but will probably look to stretch him out in an allowance race next.”
Amount wasn’t the only exciting 2-year-old prospect to win his maiden here Saturday, nor was Pletcher the only trainer to post a maiden/stakes double on the card. Shug McGaughey also turned the trick with the soon to turn 3-year-old Greatest Honour, who overcame much adversity to graduate going 1 1/16 miles in the seventh race, and Vigilantes Way, wire-towire winner of the Tropical Park Oaks.
Greatest Honour got squeezed at the start then was bumped soundly around the first turn by the ill-fated Dude’s Got Game, who suffered a fatal heart attack less than a quarter-mile into the race. Despite dropping far back after the incident, Greatest Honour recovered to put in a steady run to finally wear down and edge clear from Pletcher’s Dynamic One to win his maiden as a prohibitive 1-2 favorite.
“He overcame a lot of trouble. Luis [Saez] said that other horse hit him pretty hard,” McGaughey said. “The light hasn’t gone on yet. I still think he has a lot to learn, and when it does I think he’s going to be a really nice horse, especially once we get him stretched out a little farther. I’d like to find a one-other-than allowance race going a mile and an eighth for him next. I don’t really want to put him right into one of the big races just yet unless I have to.”
Nobody was more surprised than McGaughey to see Vigilantes Way setting the pace under jockey Julien Leparoux in the Tropical Oaks.
“Going to the lead was not our intention,” said McGaughey. “She just broke good; she was there. Julien said he was able to give her a couple of breathers and she seemed to relax really well down the backstretch. It looked like he had horse all the way, and when she switched leads turning for home, something she’s had problems with in the past, I thought we were in pretty good shape.”
Vigilantes Way’s win was flattered when Duopoly, who defeated her by a bit more than length two races back, won the Grade 1 American Oaks just a few hours later at Santa Anita.
McGaughey confirmed that Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard Code of Honor when he makes his 2021 debut in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 23. John Velazquez has ridden Code of Honor in all but two of his 15 career starts, including a victory in the 2019 Travers, but gave the call instead to Tiz the Law for the Pegasus World Cup.
Amount and Colonial Liam were two of the three winners on Saturday for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., while Leparoux won a pair of stakes on the card, also taking the two-mile Allen Jerkens aboard the 25-1 Sir Anthony earlier in the day. Edgard Zayas continues to wield a hot hand of his own, posting a hat trick the following afternoon to dead heat with Ortiz for third place in the jockey standings behind Saez and Paco Lopez, with 25 wins apiece.