It was a busy Father’s Day morning for trainer Todd Pletcher
at Belmont Park, highlighted by half-mile breezes
from stable stars Quality Road
and Super Saver.
In his first move since stretching his 2010 record to a
perfect 3-for-3 in Memorial Day’s Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, Quality Road
covered the four furlongs in an easy 50.26 after the break, while Kentucky
Derby winner Super Saver went the same distance in 50.66, both over the main
track.
“We weren’t looking for much,” said Pletcher of the duo. “It
was a maintenance half for both. We’re still a ways away from their next
races.”
Quality Road, the nation’s top older male in training, is
targeting the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course on August 7, while the
next major New York objective
for Super Saver is the Grade 1 Travers on August 28.
“We’ll pick it up a little but with Super Saver as we go
along, but so far he’s doing very well,” said Pletcher of the WinStar colt. “I’m
real happy with his overall condition and weight. The way he’s moving and
everything else indicates to me he’s rounding into top form.”
Pletcher said he considered changing the timing of Quality Road’s
first work back, but decided against it.
“If he were to run in the Suburban or something, I would
have worked him last week,” he said Edward P. Evans’ colt. “But with him not
running until August 7, I didn’t really feel the need to work him last week. I
probably could have waited another week, but I didn’t want to get into a
situation where we were playing catch up at any point.”
Pletcher said the filly Devil May Care, who breezed
five furlongs Sunday in 1:01.84, was on target for her engagement in the Grade
1 Mother Goose on June 26 at Belmont Park.
The trainer is also pointing Katy Now, who went a half-mile Sunday
morning in 48.48, and Ailalea, who went a half-mile over the training
track in 50.07, to the Mother Goose.
“Obviously, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t be running these
three fillies all together,” said Pletcher. “It’s not effective stable
management from my perspective. But it’s what the owners want, it’s a Grade 1,
and it’s at home, so that’s attractive.”
Among other notable Pletcher works Sunday morning were Munnings
(5F, 1:00.46), Le Grand Cru (4F, 47.10), Driven by Success (4F,
48.02), American Dance (4F, 50.14), Discreetly Mine (4F,
49.55), Interactif (4F, 50.44), Christmas for Liam (5F,
1:01.82), and Hunters Bay (5F, 1:01.82).