Pletcher breezes King for a Day in preparation for G1 Haskell Invitational
The first Saturday morning of the prestigious Saratoga meet was a busy one for 13-time leading trainer Todd Pletcher, who sent some of his heavy hitters to the Oklahoma training track for preparations for their next test.
The two-time stakes winner King for a Day, owned by Red Oak Stable, worked in company with three-time winning New York-bred Just Right and went a halfmile in 48.39 seconds with Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez aboard.
“He breezed really well,” Velazquez said. “Right on schedule which is what Todd wanted and it was a very nice work.”
King for a Day, a 3-yearold chestnut son of Uncle Mo, won both of his starts this year in the Sir Barton and Pimlico and the Pegasus at Monmouth Park, where he bested disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security. He will likely return to the Jersey Shore and target the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational on Saturday, July 20.
“That’s what we’ve been looking at,” Pletcher said of the Haskell. “Certainly, the way he went this morning I would be enthusiastic about going assuming that everything is in good order.”
Pletcher had always held King for a Day in high regard, even as a 2-year-old. He won his second career start in a 1 1/16-mile maiden event on the main track which featured eventual dual graded stakes-winner Tacitus. From there, he was fourth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club last November at Churchill Downs and did not race again until winning the Sir Barton.
“That was a huge win for him to beat the horse who crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby,” Pletcher said of the Pegasus. “He’s perhaps a horse that has been on our radar, we’ve thought a lot of him since he came here last year. We gave him a little time after he ran at Churchill in the fall and so he was a little behind schedule for the Triple Crown but came back in the Sir Barton on Preakness day and looked impressive and took another move forward with a win in the Pegasus.”
A solid run from King for a Day could result in a start in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Run happy Travers on August 24, which Pletcher has won twice with Stay Thirsty (2011) and Flower Alley (2005).
“It’s a little better scheduling for the Travers now that the Haskell is moved forward eight days sooner than it used to be. So that gives him the possibility of coming back in the Travers if everything goes well,” Pletcher said.
A Kentucky homebred, King for a Day is a halfbrother to three stakes winners, all out of the unraced French Deputy broodmare Ubetwereven.
Pletcher also worked Grade 1-winner Vino Rosso in company with graded stakes-placed Intrepid Heart on Saturday. Both horses completed their respective five-furlong journeys in 1:00.90.
Eighth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets last out, Intrepid Heart is likely to return in the $100,000 Curlin on July 26 over the Saratoga main track, while Vino Rosso will target another Grade 1 win in the $1 million Whitney Handicap on August 3.
“Intrepid Heart breezed this morning and we’re considering the Curlin with him,” Pletcher said. “If that were to go well, that could possibly put him in the Travers. He went with Vino Rosso. Obviously, he’s an older horse and a good work horse and I thought he did well to stay with him.”
A son of Curlin, Vino Rosso struck Grade 1 gold for the first time in his most recent effort when shipping to the west coast for the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
Coincidentally, Vino Rosso comes from the same family as his Saturday morning workmate. His dam Mythical Bride is out of Flaming Heart, who produced Intrepid Heart as well as three-time graded stakes winner Commissioner.
Also on the Saturday morning work tab for Pletcher is five-time graded stakes winner Coal Front who logged a half-mile breeze in 48.96 seconds under exercise rider Amelia Green.
The Robert LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners owned dark bay son of Stay Thirsty was seventh last out in the Grade 1 Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park and is under consideration for the Grade 3, $200,000 Monmouth Cup on the Haskell undercard.
“I’m still thinking about it. We’ll assess the field and see how he comes out of it. We’ll make a decision on entry day probably,” Pletcher said.
All five of Coal Front’s graded stakes wins took place over different tracks. As a 3-year-old, he won the Grade 2 Amsterdam over Saratoga’s main track two starts before winning the Grade 3 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing. He finished his 4-year-old campaign with a win in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector going the one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park before shipping to Oaklawn Park, where he was a hardfought winner of the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap. His last win took place overseas in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile at Meydan Racecourse.