Trainer Todd Pletcher said Monday
that the Grade 2, one-mile Kelso at Belmont Park on Saturday, October 1, and the
Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on September 24 are among the options for Foxwoods
King’s Bishop runner-up Uncle Mo. Pletcher also said Travers winner
Stay Thirsty would most likely head to the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup,
also at Belmont on October 1.
“I’ve had approximately 12
conversations with Mike [Repole], but nothing is firmed up,” quipped Pletcher.
“The most likely scenario for Stay Thirsty is the Jockey Club Gold Cup. I
suppose there’s some wiggle room there; the Pennsylvania Derby is a week sooner
against straight 3-year-olds.
“The Pennsylvania Derby is an
option for Uncle
Mo ,” he added. “I suppose if we felt like he
needed another week, a race like the Kelso could be in the mix. The Breeders’
Cup Classic is 1 ¼ miles and we still have aspirations to making that race with
Uncle Mo. Between now and then, if we need to stretch him out and want to go 1 ¼
miles, I don’t know if the Kelso at a mile would be long enough for us to get
there. So we’ll have to play it by ear.”
With two Grade 1 victories last
Saturday, Pletcher is looking to continue his success Labor Day weekend as he
will be well represented in the Spa’s stakes offerings, beginning with Crazy
Party in the P.G. Johnson for 2-year-old fillies on the turf on Wednesday
and Captain Webb in Thursday’s Grade 2 With Anticipation for 2-year-olds
on the turf.
Saturday, Pletcher will send out
Super Espresso, second in the Grade 1 Ruffian on July 31, in the
rescheduled Grade 1 Personal Ensign; Mission Impazible and Rule in
the Grade 1 Woodward; Aikenite, the beaten favorite in the James Marvin
on July 22, and Grade 2 Fourstardave winner Sidney’s Candy will run in
the Grade 1 Forego.
“The Woodward and the Forego are
very attractive races, and
Sidney ’s Candy is a horse who is so good at all
these things,” said Pletcher. “But we felt the seven-eighths was a little more
comfortable distance than the 1 1/8 miles.
“Aikenite’s last race was good;
it was just such a tough race,” he said. “He probably ended up a little closer
to the pace than he ideally wanted. He still ran a very credible race.”
Pletcher said he hopes to have a
least one starter in the Grade 1 Spinaway for 2-year-old fillies on Sunday with
Grade 3 Schuylerville winner Georgie’s Angel.
Stopshoppingmaria, an
impressive 9 ¾-length maiden winner at the Spa on August 14, is possible.
On Monday, in addition to Grade 3
Robert G. Dick Memorial runner-up Bubbly Jane in the Grade 3 Glens Falls,
Pletcher is pointing recent maiden winners Big Blue Nation and Hunt
Crossing to the Grade 1 Three Chimneys Hopeful.
“They will both breeze tomorrow
and if they please us they will both go in the Hopeful,” he said.