Charge It Impresses in Gulfstream Return

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Charge It Impresses in Gulfstream Return
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
Charge It wins Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park

The auspicious Charge It , a 23-length winner of last year's Dwyer Stakes (G3) before foot issues forced him to the sidelines, returned to action with a facile victory in a Feb. 5 $87,000 allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park.

Hammered down at 1-5 at the windows, Charge It broke sharply but was content to race in a tracking third position as longshots Super Curioso  and Laughing Boy  whizzed through opening fractions of :22.63 and :45.99. Set loose past the half-mile marker, the big gray cleared his rivals with ease and coasted into the lane on top. Luis Saez was merely a passenger, shaking the reins at the colt once when Vittorio  poised a mild threat in late stretch.

Comfortably in control, Charge It hit the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front of Vittorio in a final time of 1:41.96 for the 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track.

Campaigned by breeder Whisper Hill Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, the son of Tapit   made noise on the Derby trail last spring when running an encouraging second in the Florida Derby (G1) in only his third start. After displacing his palate and finishing unplaced in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Charge It rebounded with his dazzling romp in the Dwyer Stakes. He had been targeting the Travers Stakes (G1) before a stubborn quarter-crack injury inevitably sent him to recover at Whisper Hill in Ocala.

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Pletcher has indicated that seasonal targets for Charge It include stallion-making prizes such as the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Whitney Stakes (G1).