Pletcher Sends Out Two in Grade 2 Remsen

Winning the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2) will not earn the victor an Eclipse Award.

Yet in a year like this one, when the top 2-year-old males seem to become wallflowers whenever a spotlight has been shined on them, races like the Remsen take on added significance in terms of future events.

About a month after 45-1 and 28-1 shots finished 1-2 in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), the Remsen offers one of the last chances for 2-year-olds to travel around two turns on dirt and display the kind of potential that will point them out as legitimate Triple Crown hopefuls next year.

Of the nine entrants in the Dec. 7 stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, none own a victory in an open stakes. But all of that will change once darkness descends on the Big Apple and someone emerges with a grade 2 stakes victory at 1 1/8 miles and 10 points toward a starting spot in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

"For a lot of horses, it's a first opportunity to stretch out to two turns at an intriguing distance at a time when they are getting ready to turn 3 and the big prep races are around the corner," trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Pletcher entered two horses in the Remsen—Alpha Sixty Six and Chase Tracker—who will be making their third starts after facing stakes competition last time.

"We feel we have two horses who should appreciate the distance," said Pletcher, a two-time winner of the Remsen who took the 2005 edition with Bluegrass Cat, the runner-up in the following year's Kentucky Derby. "Both have shown promise and are starting to put it all together."

Paul Pompa Jr.'s Alpha Sixty Six returns from a two-month break after finishing fifth, 4 3/4 lengths behind Tiz the Law, in the Champagne Stakes (G1). In his Sept. 7 debut at Belmont Park, the son of Liam's Map  prevailed by a neck at 6 1/2 furlongs.

"He got off to a poor start in the Champagne and put himself in a compromised position, but then he put in a good rally," the seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer said. "He seems to have trained forwardly for this, and we're looking forward to getting him stretched out around two turns."

Bought for $400,000 by agent Steven Young from the Eaton Sales consignment at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Alpha Sixty Six was bred in Kentucky by Overbrook Farm and Kildare Stud and is a son of the Giant's Causeway mare Giant Sensation.

St. Elias Stable's Chase Tracker was third in the one-mile Nashua Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, finishing 13 1/4 lengths behind runaway winner Independence Hall. In his Sept. 21 debut at Parx Racing, the son of Verrazano won by 3 1/4 lengths at seven furlongs.

"He got hung out wide, and the winner ran everyone off their feet at the end," Pletcher said about the Nov. 3 Nashua. "From our perspective, it wasn't a bad effort, and for his third start around two turns, he should move forward."

Bred in Kentucky by Marcuzzi Thoroughbreds out of the Lemon Drop Kid  mare Nutmeg, Chase Tracker was bought by Crupi's New Castle for $67,000 from the Rosilyn Polan consignment at the 2018 Keeneland September sale.

Both of Pletcher's horses will have equipment changes Saturday. Chase Tracker will add blinkers, and Alpha Sixty Six will remove them.

"We've experimented with those changes in training, and they seem to have given us better performances," Pletcher said.

Chase Tracker, who will be ridden by Javier Castellano, drew the rail. Alpha Sixty Six and John Velazquez will break from post 8.

With Aqueduct's first 3-year-old Kentucky Derby prep coming in the Jan. 1 Jerome Stakes at a mile, Pletcher plans to send both colts to Florida after the race, but one might return to New York for the Feb. 1 Withers Stakes (G3) at the same 1 1/8-mile distance as the Remsen.

The only other entrant with graded stakes experience is Shadwell Stable's homebred Ajaaweed, who was fourth for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) in his most recent start.

A son of Curlin , Ajaaweed posted a 4 1/4-length maiden victory at Belmont Park one start before that.

Gold Square's Cleon Jones enters off a string of solid efforts in stakes for New York-breds. Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the son of Tale of the Cat  was second—a head behind the winner—in the Sleepy Hollow Stakes in his previous start. Before that, he won the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes and was second in the Funny Cide Stakes. 

Named for the star outfielder on the 1969 World Series-winning New York Mets, Cleon Jones was bought for $325,000 from the Eddie Woods consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

The 3-1 morning-line favorite is Don Alberto Stable's Forza Di Oro, a Speightstown  colt who exits a three-quarter-length victory in a one-turn, 1 1/16-mile maiden race at Belmont Park. One start before that, the Bill Mott trainee was second to Ajaaweed in a Sept. 11 maiden test.

The field also includes Phipps Stable homebred Amends, a son of Uncle Mo  exiting a 4 1/4-length maiden win at 1 1/16 miles for Shug McGaughey at Belmont Park; and Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, Pantofel Stable, and Mike Karty's Shotski, a Blame  colt trained by Jeremiah O'Dwyer who was fourth in the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Entries: Remsen S. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, December 07, 2019, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 2 yo
• 3:43 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Chase Tracker (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Todd A. Pletcher	7/2
2	2Forza Di Oro (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	3/1
3	3Cleon Jones (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Jeremiah C. Englehart	6/1
4	4Ajaaweed (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	9/2
5	5Informative (KY)	John Bisono	118	Uriah St. Lewis	12/1
6	6Shotski (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Jeremiah O'Dwyer	15/1
7	7Prince James (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Kelsey Danner	15/1
8	8Alpha Sixty Six (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
9	9Amends (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Claude R. McGaughey III	12/1