Pletcher to Saddle Jouster, Con Lima in Wonder Again

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle a formidable pair of contenders in Jouster  and Con Lima  in the $200,000 Wonder Again Stakes (G3T), a nine-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies June 3 at Belmont Park.

While both fillies are good from the gate, the veteran conditioner said he expects Jouster to be more forwardly placed.

"I think Jouster is naturally quicker and Con Lima has shown that she can sit just off the pace," Pletcher said.

Starlight Racing and Glen Hill Farm's Jouster returns from a 1 1/2-length gate-to-wire score over Wonder Again rivals Gift List  and Plum Ali  in the one-mile Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) April 3 at Keeneland. The Noble Mission  filly has won three of her last four starts with the lone loss coming by a nose in the 1 1/16-mile Florida Oaks (G3T) March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs.

"She's a naturally fast filly and it seems like she's starting to settle a bit," said Pletcher. "It's sort of a pivotal race for us in terms of which direction we go with her. If she can handle a mile and an eighth, we may look at some of those races that are a little longer. If not, we'll cut back in distance. We're eager to find out how she does."

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph Graffeo, Del Toro, Eric Nikolaus, and Troy Johnson's Con Lima, a Texas-bred daughter of Commissioner , boasts a record of five wins and four seconds from 10 starts. She made the grade via the disqualification of Spanish Loveaffair  in the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T), a 1 1/16-mile turf test Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park. She followed that effort with a fourth in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) over dirt March 27 ahead of a four-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Honey Ryder Stakes back on Gulfstream's turf.

"She trains and runs consistently well," said Pletcher. "She's better on the turf, but handles dirt OK, also. We'll see how she handles the mile and an eighth and how it all plays out for her."

Trainer Christophe Clement will also saddle a strong pair in Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Michael Cariso' Plum Ali and Brereton Jones' homebred Creative Cairo .

Plum Ali made her seasonal debut with a close third in the Appalachian, just two lengths in arrears of Jouster.

"I think she is a top-class filly. At Keeneland, she was a bit unlucky because of the pace scenario," said Clement. "I have a small question mark if she will stay a mile and an eighth or mile and a quarter. But we're giving it a try and we'll find out. Her race at Keeneland was actually a very good race. She finished third in a good race. The pace was against her, but she finished well. She's trained well since."

Creative Cairo prevailed by a nose in a nine-furlong turf route at second asking April 10 at Aqueduct Racetrack. She steps into stakes company for the first time from a nearly two-month layoff.

Trainer Chad Brown will have a pair of contenders in Fluffy Socks  and Technical Analysis  as he looks to win his fourth Wonder Again following scores by Lady Eli  (2015), New Money Honey  (2017), and Cambier Parc  (2019).

Head of Plains Partners' Fluffy Socks made the grade in the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) traveling a mile at Del Mar in November to close out her juvenile campaign. She returned April 18 to finish second beaten a head in the Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct.

"She's doing really well. After she won late last year at Del Mar, we tucked her away for a little bit and just planned on focusing on this turf series for 3-year-old fillies," said Brown. "She doesn't seem to have any distance limitations—longer the better—and a real, true mile and a quarter filly. When you look at the top and bottom of her pedigree, it fits, and she's coming in really well."

Klaravich Stables' Technical Analysis graduated at second asking over good Aqueduct turf in November to complete her 2-year-old season. She enters from a 2 3/4-length score in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming event on firm Belmont turf April 29.

Brown said he has high hopes for progeny of her sire, Kingman .

"She's very talented. Fortunately, we were onto Kingman early as a young stallion," said Brown. "He was a remarkable racehorse who was unfortunately maybe a little bit overshadowed by Frankel , running around the same time for Juddmonte, but he only lost one time and appeared to really like firm ground. It doesn't always work out, but we've been a big supporter of Kingman from the very first crop. Now that ship has sailed and he's harder to buy, but we've been fortunate to buy the ones we have and nearly all of them have turned out to be runners."

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gianni Fittipaldi's Mia Martina , trained by Graham Motion, enters off short rest from a closing fourth in the one-mile Hilltop Stakes May 14 at Pimlico Race Course.

Amerman Racing's Gift List, trained by Brian Lynch, was a 4 1/4-length winner of the Edgewood Stakes Presented by Newport Racing & Gaming (G2T) April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Completing the field are Gary Barber's I Get It , making her first start with trainer Mark Casse after winning the March 27 Sanibel Island Stakes Presented by US Foods at Gulfstream; and Wachtel Stable, Pantofel Stable, and TOLO Thoroughbreds' Alwayz Late , a Bill Mott trainee who switches back to the turf after a fifth-place finish in the April 3 Gazelle Stakes (G2) on Aqueduct's main track.

Entries: Wonder Again S. (G3T)

Belmont Park, Thursday, June 03, 2021, Race 8

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Inner turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 6:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mia Martina (FL)	John R. Velazquez	118	H. Graham Motion	15/1
2	2Con Lima (TX)	Flavien Prat	122	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
3	3I Get It (MD)	Kendrick Carmouche	122	Mark E. Casse	20/1
4	4Alwayz Late (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	William I. Mott	15/1
5	5Jouster (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1
6	6Gift List (GB)	Javier Castellano	122	Brian A. Lynch	7/2
7	7Fluffy Socks (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	8/1
8	8Creative Cairo (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Christophe Clement	30/1
9	9Technical Analysis (IRE)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Chad C. Brown	9/2
10	10Plum Ali (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Christophe Clement	5/1