It was a big afternoon Saturday for trainer Todd Pletcher’s
powerful stable with the stunning, track record performance of Quality Road in the
Donn Handicap (G1) minutes after Take the Points’ big effort finishing first in
the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1) before he was disqualified by the
stewards.
The busy weekend continued for the Pletcher team Sunday
morning at Palm Meadows with eight stable stakes stars posting workouts,
including Mr. John Magnier and partners’ 4-year-old Munnings and Stronach
Stable’s 5-year-old Harlem Rocker, both nominated for next Saturday’s renewal
of the $150,000 Gulfstream Sprint Championship (G2).
Munnings was timed an easy five furlongs in 1:02 4/5 while
Harlem Rocker clocked the same distance in 1:02. Munnings is preparing for his
first start since finishing third behind Kodiak Kowboy in the Vosburgh Stakes
(G1) at Belmont
Park
on Oct. 3. Harlem Rocker finished fourth behind Quality Road
in the Hal’s Hope Stakes (G3) here on Jan. 3.
Also on the work tab for Pletcher were 3-year-olds Super
Saver (48 1/5), Aikenite (1:00 4/5), Discreetly Mine (1:00 2/5), Eskendereya
(1:00 2/5) and Rule (1:00 4/5). Rounding out the Pletcher team workers was
Edward P. Evans’ 4-year-old filly Casanova Move, who earned the ‘bullet’ for
five furlongs at 1:00 flat.
The stable’s busy weekend continues Sunday afternoon with
runners entered in two races at Gulfstream, most notably Wertheimer et Frere’s
3-year-old Kentucky
homebred Interactif, the likely favorite in the $100,000 Hallandale Beach
Stakes in his first start since finishing a close-up third in the $1 million
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) at Santa Anita on Nov. 7.
Leading the Sunday morning work tab at Gulfstream Park was
Kingfield Stable’s Buddy’s Saint, who drilled six furlongs in 1:12 2/5 as he
continues preparation for his highly-anticipated 3-year-old debut in the
$250,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) on Sat., Feb. 20.
Trained by Bruce Levine, the son of Saint Liam completed
his juvenile campaign winning the Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct by 4 ¾ lengths
on Nov. 28 after romping home by 12 lengths in the Nashua Stakes (G2) over the
track three weeks earlier. The two stakes wins came after he finished first in his
debut at Belmont
Park
in late September, but disqualified for interference in the stretch.
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