Aqueduct Stakes Racing Weekend

Posted on Saturday, November 26th, 2005

IT COULD BE ALL PLETCHER ON HILL ‘N’ DALE CIGAR MILEDAY

By Jason Blewitt

Before he had a Breeders’ Cup win, a Travers victory and a shiny EclipseAward as 2004’s champion trainer, Todd Pletcher enjoyed the best day of histhen four-year-old training career on November 24th, 2001 at Aqueduct. Pletcher swept two-thirds of the day’s stakes, winning the Cigar Mile withLeft Bank and the Demoiselle with Smok’n Frolic. Had it not been forSaarland’s narrow neck victory over Nokoma in the Remsen, Pletcher wouldhave bagged all three stakes that day.

Well, Pletcher will flex his muscles here Saturday afternoon, running sevenhorses in Aqueduct’s three graded stakes that are the centerpiece of theBig A’s HolidayFest Weekend. Sizing up the races on paper, it would be amajor upset if Pletcher did not win at least one of the day’s stakesofferings.

He’ll also have a chance to make some history. First race post is 12:25p.m. Eastern.

Pletcher entered this week with earnings of $18,831,602, trailing Hall ofFame trainer Bobby Frankel’s single season record of $19,147,129 by just$315,527. Pletcher had horses entered in stakes races in Kentucky onThursday and Friday, and will run the aforementioned army of seven inSaturday’s three Big A stakes.

Pletcher sends out a three-pronged attack in the day’s feature, the$350,000 Hill `n’ Dale Cigar Mile, which is New York’s final Grade 1 raceof 2005. The addition of Hill `n’ Dale as a sponsor for the 17th running ofthe prestigious Cigar Mile is exciting, and Pletcher, who won the race lastyear with Lion Tamer, would love to make it back-to-back scores. He willgive it a great run with the Chilean-bred Host, 2004 Jim Dandy winner Purgeand the $1.1 million yearling Value Plus.

Pletcher also appears to have the horse to beat in the 92nd running of theGrade 2, $200,000 Remsen with Bluegrass Cat, winner of Belmont Park’sNashua. As for the 84th running of the Demoiselle, Pletcher trains threeof the five fillies entered in the Grade 2, $200,000 stake; it isn’t crazyto think he could sweep the trifecta.

As for the Cigar Mile, Host, a Group 1 winner on the dirt in Chile, hasstarted nine times since moving to Pletcher’s operation in the winter of2004. He has raced on the dirt just once for Pletcher, running a distantthird to Funny Cide and Evening Attire in the 2004 Excelsior Handicap here.Since that race, Host has had most of his success closing from off the paceon the turf, a tactic Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez will employSaturday.

"We’ve learned how he wants to run since that race," said Pletcher, who didnot enter defending Cigar Mile champion Lion Tamer because the horse was inthe process of being sold this week. "He made the lead in the Excelsiorand he is a much better horse coming from off the pace. A mile is betterfor him, too."

Host won the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile in early October at Keeneland. Hewent onto have a nightmarish journey in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont,finishing seventh, three lengths behind winner Artie Schiller aftersteadying repeatedly in the last furlong.

"Our strategy going into that race was to lay close to the pace; in fact,we hoped to have the trip Artie Schiller had, tucked in the first tier,"Pletcher said. "Host didn’t break great and was next-to-last up thebackstretch. (Jockey Rafael Bejarano) tried to get through a couple ofholes and they closed. If he didn’t run into all that traffic, I think hewould have hit the board."

Host drew post 2.

Purge is a little erratic, but a force to be reckoned with when on hisgame. He could win the Cigar Mile if he ran back to his victories ineither the 2004 Peter Pan and Jim Dandy.

Purge, a son of Pulpit, enters the Cigar Mile off a third-place finish inthe Meadowlands Cup. He is 1-0-2 from five starts this season.

"I thought he ran well in the Meadowlands Cup," Pletcher said. "He madeall the running and got a little leg weary the last part. I don’t think amile is too short for him. All he needs is the right kind of trip."

Purge drew post 7 under jockey Garrett Gomez, who won two Breeders’ Cupraces at Belmont Park last month.

Value Plus has run some big races at Gulfstream Park, but has been ashort-odds loser just about everywhere else. He did, however, run decentin the October 29th Sport Page at Belmont, finishing two lengths behindwinner Gotaghostofachance after chasing inside.

"On any given day, he can show up and run with just about anyone," Pletchersaid. "Like Purge, if he gets the right kind of trip and brings his best,he’s eligible to be right there."

Badge of Silver finished second to Lion Tamer in last year’s Cigar Mile,outgaming favored Pico Central in deep stretch. Since then, Badge ofSilver has raced four times, winning the Hal’s Hope and New Orleanshandicaps. Plagued by chronic foot troubles throughout his 12-race career,Badge of Silver has not raced since finishing sixth behind Saint Liam inthe June 18th Stephen Foster Handicap. Badge of Silver is one of twohorses that were entered in the Cigar Mile by Frankel, who also sends outGrade 1 Forego winner Mass Media. The Frankel horses race as separatebetting interests.

Imperialism won the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien Handicap at Del Mar over thesummer, but has finished off the board in his last two starts running fifthin the 1 1/4 mile Jockey Club Gold Cup and eighth in the Breeders’ CupSprint.

Bluegrass Cat Attempts to Stay Unbeaten for Pletcher in Remsen
Outside of the horses that competed in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile andChampagne, Bluegrass Cat may have been the most promising two-year-old thatraced at Belmont Park in autumn. A colt by Storm Cat, Bluegrass Cat wasone of seven horses entered in the Grade 2, $200,000 Remsen at ninefurlongs. He drew the rail under jockey John Velazquez.

The Remsen has been a proving ground for young two-year-olds over the lastdecade or so. In the 1990s, Go for Gin and Thunder Gulch raced in theRemsen. Both horses won the Kentucky Derby that following May. Threeyears ago, Empire Maker finished second in the Remsen. He would go onto winthe Belmont Stakes in June of 2003.

Bluegrass Cat defeated a deep field of horses in the October 28th Nashua atBelmont. He was up close to the pace before kicking on gamely inmidstretch. Saturday, he’ll make his first start around two turns andfirst start beyond a mile. Pletcher says he does not foresee a problem.

"He is a colt we’re all very excited about," Pletcher said. "He showed alot of promise in his last two starts and I was impressed how he pushed hisway through the field in the Nashua. He’s shown a good amount ofdetermination and talent. I don’t think a mile and an eighth will botherhim at all."

Fagan’s Legacy didn’t beat much in the off-the-turf Pilgrim last month atBelmont, but won the race in hand beneath jockey Joe Bravo. This KellyBreen-trained colt is by Monarchos, the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner.

Pegasusbystorm enters the Remsen on the heels of a victory in Meadowlands’Storm Cat and is one of few in the field that has a two-turn win under hisbelt.

Pletcher Shoots for Third Demoiselle Victory
When the dust settles, there’s a very good chance Pletcher will have wonhis third Demoiselle on Saturday. But the big question is whether Pletchercan sweep the race’s trifecta.

Pletcher trains three of the five juvenile fillies enters in the Grade 2,$200,000 Demoiselle at nine furlongs. Pletcher won the Demoiselle in 2001with Smok’n Frolic and in 2003 with Ashado.

It’s tough to say which of the Pletcher fillies is best because they alllook solid. Wait a While, a $260,000 two-year-old purchase who is sired byMaria’s Mon, jogged home an easy winner of Belmont’s off-the-turf MissGrillo. She had broken her maiden on the grass in her prior start.

"She’s a filly we’re very high on," Pletcher said. "We thought she couldwin first out, but she got into a lot of trouble. We experimented with thegrass because she worked so well on it in the morning. Obviously, shehandled it well in the afternoon. When the Miss Grillo came off it was aneasy decision to run on the dirt again. She handled the nine furlongs welland having a win at the Demoiselle distance is a big advantage for her."

Cinderella’s Dream, a New York-bred, recently won the restricted Maid ofthe Mist on New York Showcase Day over an extremely sloppy track. Thisdaughter of Prime Timber is riding a two-race win streak into theDemoiselle.

"She was gutsy enough to win the Maid of the Mist although I don’t thinkshe really cared for the sloppy conditions," Pletcher said. "Figure-wise,her maiden victory over a fast track really stood out. I think she’s verypromising."

Love Locket makes her Aqueduct debut in search of her fourth straight win. A daughter of 1994 Remsen winner Thunder Gulch, Love Locket is undefeatedin a pair of stakes races, having won Delaware Park’s Irish Sonnet and BlueHen. In fact, she is perfect around two turns.

"She’s handled different scenarios and different conditions pretty easily,"Pletcher said. "Being undefeated in three starts around two turns says alot."

Better Now, trained by Mark Hennig, is another filly by Thunder Gulch. Sheearned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure winning Belmont’s one mile Tempted, but beata field that appeared comprised of sprinters.

By Jason BlewittBefore he had a Breeders’ Cup win, a Travers victory and a shiny EclipseAward as 2004’s champion trainer, Todd Pletcher enjoyed the best day of histhen four-year-old training career on November 24th, 2001 at Aqueduct. Pletcher swept two-thirds of the day’s stakes, winning the Cigar Mile withLeft Bank and the Demoiselle with Smok’n Frolic. Had it not been forSaarland’s narrow neck victory over Nokoma in the Remsen, Pletcher wouldhave bagged all three stakes that day.Well, Pletcher will flex his muscles here Saturday afternoon, running sevenhorses in Aqueduct’s three graded stakes that are the centerpiece of theBig A’s HolidayFest Weekend. Sizing up the races on paper, it would be amajor upset if Pletcher did not win at least one of the day’s stakesofferings.He’ll also have a chance to make some history. First race post is 12:25p.m. Eastern.Pletcher entered this week with earnings of $18,831,602, trailing Hall ofFame trainer Bobby Frankel’s single season record of $19,147,129 by just$315,527. Pletcher had horses entered in stakes races in Kentucky onThursday and Friday, and will run the aforementioned army of seven inSaturday’s three Big A stakes. Pletcher sends out a three-pronged attack in the day’s feature, the$350,000 Hill `n’ Dale Cigar Mile, which is New York’s final Grade 1 raceof 2005. The addition of Hill `n’ Dale as a sponsor for the 17th running ofthe prestigious Cigar Mile is exciting, and Pletcher, who won the race lastyear with Lion Tamer, would love to make it back-to-back scores. He willgive it a great run with the Chilean-bred Host, 2004 Jim Dandy winner Purgeand the $1.1 million yearling Value Plus.Pletcher also appears to have the horse to beat in the 92nd running of theGrade 2, $200,000 Remsen with Bluegrass Cat, winner of Belmont Park’sNashua. As for the 84th running of the Demoiselle, Pletcher trains threeof the five fillies entered in the Grade 2, $200,000 stake; it isn’t crazyto think he could sweep the trifecta.As for the Cigar Mile, Host, a Group 1 winner on the dirt in Chile, hasstarted nine times since moving to Pletcher’s operation in the winter of2004. He has raced on the dirt just once for Pletcher, running a distantthird to Funny Cide and Evening Attire in the 2004 Excelsior Handicap here.Since that race, Host has had most of his success closing from off the paceon the turf, a tactic Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez will employSaturday. "We’ve learned how he wants to run since that race," said Pletcher, who didnot enter defending Cigar Mile champion Lion Tamer because the horse was inthe process of being sold this week. "He made the lead in the Excelsiorand he is a much better horse coming from off the pace. A mile is betterfor him, too."Host won the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile in early October at Keeneland. Hewent onto have a nightmarish journey in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont,finishing seventh, three lengths behind winner Artie Schiller aftersteadying repeatedly in the last furlong."Our strategy going into that race was to lay close to the pace; in fact,we hoped to have the trip Artie Schiller had, tucked in the first tier,"Pletcher said. "Host didn’t break great and was next-to-last up thebackstretch. (Jockey Rafael Bejarano) tried to get through a couple ofholes and they closed. If he didn’t run into all that traffic, I think hewould have hit the board."Purge is a little erratic, but a force to be reckoned with when on hisgame. He could win the Cigar Mile if he ran back to his victories ineither the 2004 Peter Pan and Jim Dandy.Purge, a son of Pulpit, enters the Cigar Mile off a third-place finish inthe Meadowlands Cup. He is 1-0-2 from five starts this season. "I thought he ran well in the Meadowlands Cup," Pletcher said. "He madeall the running and got a little leg weary the last part. I don’t think amile is too short for him. All he needs is the right kind of trip."Purge drew post 7 under jockey Garrett Gomez, who won two Breeders’ Cupraces at Belmont Park last month.Value Plus has run some big races at Gulfstream Park, but has been ashort-odds loser just about everywhere else. He did, however, run decentin the October 29th Sport Page at Belmont, finishing two lengths behindwinner Gotaghostofachance after chasing inside."On any given day, he can show up and run with just about anyone," Pletchersaid. "Like Purge, if he gets the right kind of trip and brings his best,he’s eligible to be right there."Badge of Silver finished second to Lion Tamer in last year’s Cigar Mile,outgaming favored Pico Central in deep stretch. Since then, Badge ofSilver has raced four times, winning the Hal’s Hope and New Orleanshandicaps. Plagued by chronic foot troubles throughout his 12-race career,Badge of Silver has not raced since finishing sixth behind Saint Liam inthe June 18th Stephen Foster Handicap. Badge of Silver is one of twohorses that were entered in the Cigar Mile by Frankel, who also sends outGrade 1 Forego winner Mass Media. The Frankel horses race as separatebetting interests.Imperialism won the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien Handicap at Del Mar over thesummer, but has finished off the board in his last two starts running fifthin the 1 1/4 mile Jockey Club Gold Cup and eighth in the Breeders’ CupSprint.Outside of the horses that competed in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile andChampagne, Bluegrass Cat may have been the most promising two-year-old thatraced at Belmont Park in autumn. A colt by Storm Cat, Bluegrass Cat wasone of seven horses entered in the Grade 2, $200,000 Remsen at ninefurlongs. He drew the rail under jockey John Velazquez.The Remsen has been a proving ground for young two-year-olds over the lastdecade or so. In the 1990s, Go for Gin and Thunder Gulch raced in theRemsen. Both horses won the Kentucky Derby that following May. Threeyears ago, Empire Maker finished second in the Remsen. He would go onto winthe Belmont Stakes in June of 2003.Bluegrass Cat defeated a deep field of horses in the October 28th Nashua atBelmont. He was up close to the pace before kicking on gamely inmidstretch. Saturday, he’ll make his first start around two turns andfirst start beyond a mile. Pletcher says he does not foresee a problem."He is a colt we’re all very excited about," Pletcher said. "He showed alot of promise in his last two starts and I was impressed how he pushed hisway through the field in the Nashua. He’s shown a good amount ofdetermination and talent. I don’t think a mile and an eighth will botherhim at all."Fagan’s Legacy didn’t beat much in the off-the-turf Pilgrim last month atBelmont, but won the race in hand beneath jockey Joe Bravo. This KellyBreen-trained colt is by Monarchos, the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner.Pegasusbystorm enters the Remsen on the heels of a victory in Meadowlands’Storm Cat and is one of few in the field that has a two-turn win under hisbelt.When the dust settles, there’s a very good chance Pletcher will have wonhis third Demoiselle on Saturday. But the big question is whether Pletchercan sweep the race’s trifecta.Pletcher trains three of the five juvenile fillies enters in the Grade 2,$200,000 Demoiselle at nine furlongs. Pletcher won the Demoiselle in 2001with Smok’n Frolic and in 2003 with Ashado. It’s tough to say which of the Pletcher fillies is best because they alllook solid. Wait a While, a $260,000 two-year-old purchase who is sired byMaria’s Mon, jogged home an easy winner of Belmont’s off-the-turf MissGrillo. She had broken her maiden on the grass in her prior start. "She’s a filly we’re very high on," Pletcher said. "We thought she couldwin first out, but she got into a lot of trouble. We experimented with thegrass because she worked so well on it in the morning. Obviously, shehandled it well in the afternoon. When the Miss Grillo came off it was aneasy decision to run on the dirt again. She handled the nine furlongs welland having a win at the Demoiselle distance is a big advantage for her." Cinderella’s Dream, a New York-bred, recently won the restricted Maid ofthe Mist on New York Showcase Day over an extremely sloppy track. Thisdaughter of Prime Timber is riding a two-race win streak into theDemoiselle."She was gutsy enough to win the Maid of the Mist although I don’t thinkshe really cared for the sloppy conditions," Pletcher said. "Figure-wise,her maiden victory over a fast track really stood out. I think she’s verypromising."Love Locket makes her Aqueduct debut in search of her fourth straight win. A daughter of 1994 Remsen winner Thunder Gulch, Love Locket is undefeatedin a pair of stakes races, having won Delaware Park’s Irish Sonnet and BlueHen. In fact, she is perfect around two turns."She’s handled different scenarios and different conditions pretty easily,"Pletcher said. "Being undefeated in three starts around two turns says alot."Better Now, trained by Mark Hennig, is another filly by Thunder Gulch. Sheearned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure winning Belmont’s one mile Tempted, but beata field that appeared comprised of sprinters.

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"Aqueduct Stakes Racing Weekend" was posted on Saturday, November 26th, 2005 at 4:40 pm and is filed under Aqueduct, Trainers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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