Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Plesa hoping allowance win leads to stakes for Apostle
MIAMI – With the grandstand at Gulfstream Park West long gone, finding a suitable spot to observe races live during the meet can be tricky, which is why trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. chose to watch his very promising 3-year-old Apostle compete in Wednesday’s opening-day feature from the backstretch near the 3 1/2-furlong pole, a vantage point that can be a bit deceptive as the race unfolds.
Apostle overcame a wide trip and some interference in the stretch from the pacesetting Belle Tapisserie to register a half-length decision in the onemile allowance event. The win was the second straight on the comeback trail for the wellbred son of Medaglia d’Oro and a performance that impressed Plesa all the more once he had an opportunity to watch the replay.
“Watching from the backstretch, I couldn’t tell how wide he got carried out on the first turn or how slow the pace might be,” said Plesa. “At the top of the stretch, I thought we had the leader collared, but the pace was obviously beneficial to him, and when he scooted away from us, I was concerned. I also couldn’t see my horse get cut off like he did down the stretch. For him to rerally and beat a horse who had run some really big races earlier this year, I thought it was a very impressive effort.”
Apostle, a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Carve, launched his career last winter at Gulfstream Park, finishing a tiring fifth going seven furlongs before stretching out to 1 1/16 miles to be third five weeks later. He would not start again for more than six months, returning to capture a one-mile maiden special weight race at Gulfstream on Aug. 23.
“He came up with a shin problem at 2, so we didn’t get to start him until the middle of probably the toughest meet on the planet this past winter at Gulfstream,” Plesa said. “I was satisfied with the way he ran the first time going seven furlongs and thought he ran even better the second time around two turns, only to come up with a shin problem once again, forcing us to stop on him and readdress the issue.”
Plesa said what to do next with Apostle is “the million dollar question.”
“We’ll regroup, freshen him up, and then make a decision,” said Plesa. “With that kind of pedigree, obviously you’re hoping he’s going to be a stakes horse, and I think his best races are definitely going to be around two turns. He’s got such a long, long stride, it looks like he’ll run all day, and I can’t wait to run him at a mile and one-eighth.”
Plesa was not as fortunate last Saturday with his veteran handicap star Mr. Jordan, who finished third in the Wildcat Heir Stakes after breaking from the rail and enduring a mosteventful trip.
“He was trapped from the half-mile pole to the quarter pole; he just had no place to go,” said Plesa. “I have to give him a lot of credit for the way he fought on until the end. In the past, when bounced around and not getting things his own way, he’d just give up and basically wait until next time. I very seldom say this, but in my mind, he was the best horse in that race.”
Plesa was also ready to welcome home the stakeswinning turf sprinter Miz Mayhem, who was freshened on the farm following her eighthplace finish as the favorite in Belmont Park’s Christiecat Stakes on Sept. 7. The setback snapped a five-race win streak for the 3-year-old homebred filly, owned by Plesa’s wife, Laurie.
“It was obvious right away she wasn’t handling the very soft turf course that day at Belmont,” said Eddie Plesa. “So, we gave her a brief break on the way back down from New York, and she’s due to return to the barn here” Thursday.