Pletcher’s Belmont Stakes Trio Razor Sharp on Friday

Madefromlucky (outside) and Carpe Diem (inside) exercised together on Friday at Belmont Park in preparation for the Belmont Stakes. (All photos by Susie Raisher/NYRA)
Trainer Todd Pletcher’s Belmont Stakes contingent was part of a busy morning for the seven-time Eclipse Award winner’s stable at Belmont Park.
Pletcher sent out hopefuls for the Met Mile, the Ogden Phipps Stakes, the Woody Stephens Stakes and other races, but the focus undoubtedly was on the workouts of his three horses targeting the Belmont Stakes — Carpe Diem, Materiality and Madefromlucky.
Pletcher's powerful trio will atempt to spoil American Pharoah's bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
Carpe Diem turned in his first timed workout since his 10th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the Giant's Causeway colt worked on the main track in company with Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes winner Madefromlucky. The pair co-authored the fastest workout of the day at the distance, finishing together while covering five-eighths of a mile in :59.01.
CARPE DIEM

“The [main] track was probably playing a little bit on the quick side, but I thought it was a pretty good work for both of them,” Pletcher said. “It was a fast work but in hand with a strong gallop out.
“[Carpe Diem has] been galloping well,” Pletcher added. “He’s kind of an enthusiastic horse on a daily basis, so we decided on two breezes between the Derby and the Belmont, and I thought we got a good, solid work this morning.
“That was the best that I've seen [Madefromlucky] breeze since we’ve had him. It was a very good work for him. It appears that he likes the track here, which is what we were hoping for, and it seems like the Peter Pan was good going forward.”
MADEFROMLUCKY

Florida Derby winner Materiality and Louisiana Derby runner-up Stanford went out on the main track shortly after the renovation break. The two drilled five furlongs in company in 1:00.04, the fourth-fastest time of 20 workouts at the distance.
“I thought both horses worked extremely well,” Pletcher said. “It was a little bit slower in the first part than the Carpe Diem-Madefromlucky team, but they finished up with similar times and a strong gallop out as well.
“Before we went out, I told them we were looking for something between a minute and 1:01 with a strong gallop-out,” Pletcher added, “so the fractions seemed like they were going to land them in that time frame. I just relayed the times to them and they picked it up on their own through the lane.”
With Velazquez also aboard Materiality, Pletcher reported that the riding assignments for his trio had yet to be decided.
MATERIALITY

Grade 1 Twinspires.com Wood Memorial Stakes winner Frosted took to the Belmont main track Friday morning, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.45, a day after he was declared a probable starter for the June 6 Belmont Stakes by trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.
Frosted worked in company with Tamarkuz, winner of the Group 2 Godolphin Mile. They crossed the finish line together and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.40.
"[Frosted] worked with a really nice horse, and we didn’t want him to go too fast or too slow, so it was a perfect work," McLaughlin said. “They both galloped out well and came back in good shape, and we’ll do it again next week for June 6."
Frosted enters the Belmont off a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, when he willingly to finish 4 ½ lengths behind American Pharoah. 
FROSTED (inside) AND TAMARKUZ WORKING ON FRIDAY