Pletcher Contenders Breeze for Pegasus

Grade 1 winner Keen Ice and Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Neolithic, an impressive allowance winner Dec. 14 at Gulfstream Park, each put in their penultimate work for the Jan. 28 Pegasus World Cup (G1) the morning of Jan. 14 at Palm Beach Downs.

 

Keen Ice, with Javier Castellano aboard, went five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 in company with fellow grade 1 winner Greenpointcrusader. Neolithic, breezing under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, was clocked in the same time working with multiple graded stakes winner Madefromlucky. Both jockeys retain their respective mounts for the Pegasus.

"Both of them worked very well. I was pleased with both of them. Everything seems in good order," Pletcher said. "Everything's gone according to plan. We're satisfied with the way they've been training, so hopefully they have another good two weeks."

 

Coming off a runner-up finish to stablemate Stanford in the Harlan's Holiday (G3) Dec. 17 at Gulfstream, Keen Ice was third in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) behind 2016 Horse of the Year finalists Arrogate and California Chrome  , poised for a rematch in the Pegasus.

 

Representing Pegasus stakeholders Ronald and Jerry Frankel in partnership with Donegal Racing, Keen Ice has not won since his upset of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah   in the 2015 Travers (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

 

Owned by Pegasus stakeholder Starlight Racing, Neolithic ran second in the Discovery (G3) in mid-November at Aqueduct Racetrack before rolling to a front-running, nine-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance test in 1:41.58.

 

"All you can really do is hope to have your horse prepared to run the best race that they're capable of and see how they stack up against two of the best horses in the world," Pletcher said.

Also on Saturday, Pegasus World Cup contender Breaking Lucky became acquainted with the Gulfstream Park paddock, and at the same time some of the newest partners in the graded stakes winner had the opportunity to see him in the flesh for the first time.

On hand Saturday to watch Breaking Lucky paddock school was Dean Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, one of the original Pegasus stakeholders, and Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds. Also joining Reeves to see Breaking Lucky was Randy Hill, Reeves' partner as a stakeholder. The partners cut a deal earlier this week with Breaking Lucky's owner, Tom Keithley of Gunpowder Farms, to run the 5-year-old in the Pegasus.

"Here we are and hooked up with a couple of other partners," Reeves said as he waited for Breaking Lucky's arrival in the paddock. "I had never met Tom, and I will get to meet him today. Terry I knew, and Randy and I have had horses together, so now the four of us are in on this horse and all of it is because of the Pegasus. I think part of the whole uniqueness of the Pegasus is bringing a lot of owners and trainers, and so forth, together, who may or may not have ever gotten together."

Breaking Lucky's trainer, Reade Baker, was pleased with the schooling session, even though the son of Lookin At Lucky   got warm. Baker shipped Breaking Lucky to Gulfstream from his Palm Beach Downs base Saturday morning.

"He gets hot the first time we school him," Baker remarked. "We'll school him again next week and he will be better. And then we'll school him again right before the race, and he will be fine."

Baker said Breaking Lucky, who finished second to Gun Runner in the Nov. 25 Clark Handicap (G1) in his most recent start, will work at Palm Beach Downs Jan. 18.