Pletcher Sets Sights on Turf Stakes at Belmont
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Midnight Worker breaks his maiden at Saratoga Race Course
Repole Stable's Midnight Worker will take his talents to the turf for the first time in the $150,000 Futurity Stakes (G3T), a six-furlong inner turf sprint for juveniles Oct. 10 at Belmont Park.
The Futurity offers a Breeders' Cup Challenge berth to the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) at Del Mar.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Midnight Worker posted a game debut win sprinting six furlongs on the main track July 24 at Saratoga Race Course. He followed with a prominent third in the one-mile Sapling Stakes Sept. 5 on the Monmouth Park main track.
By the Pletcher-trained Outwork and out of the stakes-placed Speightstown mare Spice Lady (who was also conditioned by Pletcher), Midnight Worker was scratched from the Oct. 3 Pilgrim Stakes (G2T), a 1 1/16-mile turf test won by stablemate Annapolis .
Midnight Worker has breezed twice over the Belmont inner turf, including a sharp half-mile Sept. 26 in :48.44.
"I worked him a couple of times on the grass and he seemed to breeze pretty well over it, so hopefully he can step up," Pletcher said. "It seems like the Outworks are pretty versatile. He's had some winners on both dirt and turf which gives you some options."
Manny Franco has the call from post 2.
Jump Sucker Stable's Slipstream , by More Than Ready , graduated at third asking by 5 1/4 lengths sprinting seven furlongs on the Belmont turf Sept. 18.
Trained by Christophe Clement, Slipstream will exit post 4 under Joel Rosario.
Trainer Wesley Ward entered a pair of fillies in Castleton Lyons' Chi Town Lady and Arnmore Thoroughbreds' Poppy Flower , who were both cross-entered in and scratched from the Oct. 9 Matron Stakes (G3T) against fillies.
Chi Town Lady, by Verrazano , graduated at first asking sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs in April on the main track at Keeneland and followed last out with an impressive 1 3/4-length score over Poppy Flower in the 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing Stakes, overcoming a stumbled start and yielding turf Aug. 18 at the Spa.
Poppy Flower, by Lea , graduated at third asking sprinting six furlongs on the Belmont turf in June ahead of her pacesetting effort in the Bolton Landing. She enters from a prominent third in the 6 1/2-furlong Ainsworth Stakes Sept. 12 at Kentucky Downs.
Ward won the 2019 Futurity with Four Wheel Drive , who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park.
Hall of Famer John Velazquez is named on Chi Town Lady from post 5, while Jose Ortiz has the call aboard Poppy Flower from post 8.
Knickerbocker Draws En Wye Cee, No Word
Pletcher will also saddle a formidable duo in En Wye Cee and No Word in Sunday's $150,000 Knickerbocker Stakes (G3T), a nine-furlong inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up at Belmont.
No Word wins a maiden race in 2019 at Saratoga Race Course
Wertheimer and Frere's homebred No Word, a 4-year-old Silent Name colt, competed in both legs of last year's Turf Triple series in New York, finishing third in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes and second in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T).
No Word made both of his two starts this year at Saratoga, including a wide-traveling eighth in an allowance optional claimer in August ahead of a game second last out in the 1 1/16-mile Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2T), contested over yielding ground Sept. 6.
"First start back he had a bad trip and was hung out wide the whole way," Pletcher said. "I thought he ran much better next time, but unfortunately didn't have much of a pace to run at. He ran well in spite of that."
Out of the A.P. Indy mare Listen A. P. , No Word is a full brother to multiple graded stakes winner Silentio .
"He's a horse we always thought had graded stakes ability, so we're giving it another try," Pletcher said.
Waterford Stable's homebred En Wye Cee, a 5-year-old son of Declaration of War , finished a prominent third in last year's Knickerbocker to close out his 2020 campaign.
The lightly raced bay, who sports a ledger of 3-0-4 from eight starts, made his seasonal debut with a third-place finish to Knickerbocker runner L'Imperator in a nine-furlong allowance optional claiming tilt Aug. 4 over firm footing at the Spa. He was scheduled to run in the Bernard Baruch but was scratched following an afternoon rainstorm that softened the grass.
"He's a consistent horse. He got a little unlucky and had to scratch with the soft turf the other day, so hopefully the ground remains firm and he gets a chance to do his thing," Pletcher said.
Velazquez will pilot En Wye Cee from post 8, while Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will guide No Word from post 9.
Phipps Stable's homebred Breaking the Rules finished fourth as the mutuel favorite in last year's Knickerbocker.
Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, who won back-to-back editions of the Knickerbocker with Boisterous in 2011-12, the now 6-year-old Breaking the Rules will look to make the grade while making his third start of the campaign.
Following an off-the-board effort in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T) in January at Gulfstream Park, the multiple graded stakes-placed son of War Front returned off a seven-month layoff to best Knickerbocker-rival Sacred Life in a one-mile allowance optional claimer contested over firm footing at the Spa.
Rosario has the call from post 2.
Flying P Stable's Temple , a 5-year-old Temple City gelding, will look to go from claim to fame for trainer Tom Morley.
The dark bay was haltered for $80,000 out of a fifth-place finish in June at Belmont and after an off-the-board effort in the restricted Lure Stakes in August at Saratoga, Temple posted a solid one-length score in a 10-furlong allowance optional claiming event.
Kendrick Carmouche picks up the mount from post 5.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Robert LaPenta's L'Imperator and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Caruso's Sacred Life.
A 4-year-old French-bred son of Holy Roman Emperor , L'Imperator launched his career in France winning three of four starts. He joined Brown last year and finished seventh in the Saranac (G3T) last August in his lone U.S. sophomore start.
L'Imperator opened his campaign with a 1 3/4-length score in a nine-furlong allowance optional claiming tilt Aug. 4 at the Spa and finished an even third last out in the Bernard Baruch.
Sacred Life, a 6-year-old French-bred Siyouni ridgling, will look for his first win of the campaign while stepping up in distance from a pair of competitive efforts at one mile at the Spa, finishing fourth in the Forbidden Apple (G3T) in July and closing to be second last out in an allowance optional claiming event Aug. 29.
Franco will guide L'Imperator from post 4, while Sacred Life will emerge from post 3 under Ortiz.
Belmont Park, Sunday, October 10, 2021, Race 5Entries: Futurity S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Run Curtis Run (NY)
Eric Cancel
122
Michael J. Maker
12/1
2
2Midnight Worker (KY)
Manuel Franco
120
Todd A. Pletcher
6/1
3
3Biz Biz Buzz (FL)
Javier Castellano
120
Michael J. Trombetta
8/1
4
4Slipstream (KY)
Joel Rosario
120
Christophe Clement
4/1
5
5Chi Town Lady (KY)
John R. Velazquez
119
Wesley A. Ward
2/1
6
6Kavod (KY)
Paco Lopez
120
James K. Chapman
15/1
7
7Ready to March (KY)
Charles Roberts
120
James K. Chapman
20/1
8
8Poppy Flower (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
117
Wesley A. Ward
5/2
Belmont Park, Sunday, October 10, 2021, Race 8Entries: Knickerbocker S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Field Pass (MD)
Dylan Davis
126
Michael J. Maker
6/1
2
2Breaking the Rules (KY)
Joel Rosario
121
Claude R. McGaughey III
4/1
3
3Sacred Life (FR)
Jose L. Ortiz
121
Chad C. Brown
7/2
4
4L'Imperator (FR)
Manuel Franco
121
Chad C. Brown
3/1
5
5Temple (KY)
Kendrick Carmouche
121
Thomas Morley
10/1
6
6Corelli (KY)
Junior Alvarado
126
Jonathan Thomas
12/1
7
7Epic Bromance (KY)
Jose Lezcano
121
J. Kent Sweezey
15/1
8
8En Wye Cee (KY)
John R. Velazquez
121
Todd A. Pletcher
8/1
9
9No Word (KY)
Javier Castellano
121
Todd A. Pletcher
8/1