Pletcher, Asmussen Each Send Duo for Saratoga Special

Trainer Todd Pletcher will send a pair of debut winners into their first stakes start Aug. 12, as Meade and Spinoff comprise one-third of a six-horse field of juveniles in the $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes presented by Miller Lite (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.

St. Elias Stable and MeB Racing Stables' Meade was impressive in his first start, when he posted a 2 1/2-length score in a maiden special weight race July 7 over six furlongs at Belmont Park.

The Street Sense  colt returned to Saratoga to train for the Saratoga Special and registered two breezes on the Oklahoma Training Track, including a four-furlong work in :49.21 Aug. 5.

Spinoff rallied to win his first start, a 1 1/4-length victory June 23 at Gulfstream Park. A son of Hard Spun  out of grade 1 winner Zaftig, Spinoff has been given ample time to acclimate to Saratoga, where he has breezed five times since he arrived from Palm Beach Downs.

"Both horses are training well and both horses are bred to run longer. We're looking forward to getting them started again," Pletcher said.

Trainer Steve Asmussen will also saddle a pair of contenders, led by the field's only graded stakes winner, Sir Truebadour. The More Than Ready  colt broke his maiden at first asking May 17 at Churchill Downs in a five-furlong sprint, and that four-length win prompted his Hall of Fame conditioner to move him up to stakes company, where he was bumped at the start en route to a fourth-place finish in the Tremont Stakes June 8 at Belmont.

Undeterred, Sir Truebadour took another step up in class and thrived in a gate-to-wire Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) victory at six furlongs June 30 at Churchill.

Owned by Whispering Oaks Farm, Sir Truebadour will stretch out in distance for the fourth time in four starts.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Tight Ten, a Tapit  colt, won his debut for Asmussen when he bested Ready and Rich by 4 1/4 lengths June 28 at Churchill.

Call Paul, a maiden winner for trainer Jason Servis, and Stage Left round out the field.

Entries: Saratoga Special S. Presented by Miller Lite (G2)

Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, August 12, 2018, Race 8

• Grade II
• 6 1/2f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 2 yo
• 5:02 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Meade (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Todd A. Pletcher	7/2
2	2Call Paul (PA)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Jason Servis	3/1
3	3Spinoff (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
4	4Tight Ten (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	5/2
5	5Sir Truebadour (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Steven M. Asmussen	9/2
6	6Stage Left (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Wesley A. Ward	6/1