Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Pletcher loads up early stakes
Gulfstream Park’s innovation will take another welcome twist Saturday when six 2-yearold stakes will serve as lead-in events to the inaugural Clasico Internacional del Caribe series at the south Florida track.
Slotted as the first six of 11 races on a program that starts at 11:50 a.m. Eastern, each of the 2-year-old stakes carries a purse of $75,000. Distance, surface, and gender differentiate them, and given the volume of budding talent and rich pedigrees being showcased, these races should prove a very entertaining prelude to the Latin American championships that follow.
To no surprise, the reigning 14-time leading trainer at the Gulfstream championship meet, Todd Pletcher, is a common denominator in all six races. Here’s a rundown:
Hut Hut (race 1, 11:50 a.m.)
A couple of royally bred fillies who earned 75 Beyer Speed Figures in their respective last starts figure to vie for favoritism when going a one-turn mile on the main track. They are Miss Mo Mentum, an Uncle Mo filly who went last to first in the blink of an eye in a Churchill Downs allowance last month for Mark Casse, and My Favorite Gift, a Tapit filly who won her first and only start by a whopping 18 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream West in late October for Gustavo Delgado.
A field of eight also includes Bernadetta, with John Velazquez riding for Pletcher, and a second Delgado entry, Luzmimi Princess, an 8 3/4length maiden winner three weeks ago at Gulfstream West.
Wait a While (race 2, 12:17)
Powerhouse New York stables come well represented in a onemile turf event that drew 13 fillies and shapes up as one of the most competitive races on the entire card.
Those top contenders include Golden Orb, exiting two key stakes after winning at first asking over the Saratoga turf for Christophe Clement; Subtle Step, a debut winner over the Keeneland turf for Shug McGaughey; Filfila, a sharp last-out maiden winner over the Aqueduct turf for Chad Brown; and Stainless, a two-back runner-up behind eventual Breeders’ Cup winner Rushing Fall in the Jessamine Stakes for Pletcher, who trained the race’s namesake to earn nearly $2.2 million from 2005-08.
Buffalo Man (race 3, 12:44)
The shortest field of the day seems to boil down even further with Diamond Ops and Mojovation looming as obvious favorites against just four other colts and geldings in this six-furlong race.
Diamond Ops is 2 for 2 over the Gulfstream surface, with a victory in the ungraded Kiss a Native on the Summit of Speed undercard being his signature effort. The Lookin At Lucky colt has been regrouped by trainer Patrick Biancone since finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in mid-August.
Mojovation, trained by Pletcher, had jaws dropping with an 86 Beyer Speed Figure in winning his debut prior to finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga and third in the Grade 3 Futurity at Belmont.
House Party (race 4, 1:12)
The probable favorites in this six-furlong race will break alongside each other from the outside gates in a field of nine fillies while providing an interesting contrast in early form.
Take Charge Paula (post 9), with Paco Lopez riding for Kelly Breen, is a two-time ungraded stakes winner with valuable experience from five starts – but her career-high Beyer is a 76. Conversely, Courageous Queen (post 8) has started just once, but she earned an 80 Beyer when romping in that Nov. 4 unveiling for the formidable team of Velazquez, Pletcher, and ownerbreeder Mike Repole.
Smooth Air (race 5, 1:40)
Pletcher holds another strong hand by sending out three of the 10 entrants in this one-turn mile for colts and geldings. Whereas Bon Raison figures as a long price, Coltandmississippi will take steady action after breaking through six weeks ago with a six-length allowance score at Gulfstream West, as will Bal Harbour on the strength of his last-out triumph in the Sapling at Monmouth.
Viable possibilities outside the Pletcher barn include Renaisance Frolic, back home in Florida following a respectable effort in Kentucky, and Delaware shipper Whereshetoldmetogo.
Pulpit (race 6, 2:09)
Stop us already if you’ve heard this enough, but yep, Pletcher looks like the central figure in this one-mile turf race for colts and geldings with Maraud, whose closeup third-place finish in the Grade 3 Pilgrim at Belmont is likely to make him a clear-cut choice in a 13-horse lineup that includes two main track-only designees.
Pletcher also will send out a Calumet Farm homebred, Pony Up, in a race that doesn’t lack for other decent-looking fringe players, including Nauti Buoy, Pont Du Gard, Stolen Pistol, and Bantu.