Grade 3 Gotham hero Stay Thirsty, Grade 3 Tom Fool
victor Calibrachoa and Fred “Cappy” Capossela winner Sensational Slam
all came out of Saturday’s stakes wins in great shape, assistant Jonathan
Thomas reported from trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn.
“They look great, they ate their dinners up, and their
energy level is good,” said Thomas Sunday morning at Belmont Park,
where the trio was relaxing after having taken three of the four stakes
Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack. “It was just one of those rare days when
everything went according to plan. We were confident in our horses, but
everything fell into place. At the end of the day, you’re pinching yourself.”
The Gotham was the first race as a 3-year-old for Stay
Thirsty, who like early Kentucky Derby favorite Uncle Mo, is
owned by Mike Repole. Now 2-2-0 from five starts, the Bernardini colt has
$200,000 in graded stakes earnings, $150,000 for the Gotham
and $50,000 from his runner-up finish in the Three Chimneys Hopeful behind Boys
At Tosconova.
“As a fan of racing, to me, coming off a huge layoff,
breaking poorly, going wide on the first turn, it was an impressive effort,”
said Thomas. “He ran like a horse asking for distance.”
Stay Thirsty will return to Pletcher’s barn at Palm Meadows
training center, most likely on Tuesday, to prepare for his next start, either
the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream
Park on April 3 or the Grade 1
Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn
Park on April 16. Uncle Mo,
who will make his 2011 debut on Saturday in the Timely Writer at Gulfstream, is
pointed toward the Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 9 at Aqueduct.
Both Calibrachoa (pronounced cal-EEE-brah-choa) and
Sensational Slam will remain in New
York to work toward their next starts on Wood
Memorial Day in the Grade 1 Carter and the Grade 3 Bay Shore, respectively,
said Thomas.
Calibrachoa, who was claimed for $40,000 by Pletcher for
Repole last November 18, earned his third straight stakes win over the Big A’s
inner track. The 4-year-old Southern Image colt previously won the Gravesend on December 18 and the Grade 3 Toboggan on
January 22.
The 3-year-old Sensational Slam, owned by celebrity chef
Bobby Flay, also earned his third stakes win in the “Cappy” Capossela, having
taken a pair of Canadian-bred stakes as a 2-year-old.