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Cigar Mile Day a whirlwind of excitement for Pletcher, sweeping a trio of graded stakes

by NYRA Press Office

• Cigar Mile Day a whirlwind of excitement for Pletcher, sweeping a trio of graded stakes
• Lady Rocket to be freshened, pointed towards Grade 1 company next year
• Just Read It ready to blossom second time off the layoff in Garland of Roses; Fromanothamutha to turn back
• Aqueduct winter meet Week 1 probables

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher captured three of the four graded stakes carded Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack led by a personal exacta with Americanrevolution and Following Sea in the featured Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets.

Pletcher also saddled juveniles Mo Donegal and Nest to respective wins in the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen and Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, but the prosperous afternoon did not come without controversy as all three of his stakes winners survived objections/inquiries.

“Thankfully everyone stayed up and everyone pulled up well,” Pletcher said. “It was an exciting day with plenty of drama. We were optimistic coming in that we had some horses training the way you’d want them to leading up to some big races. I’m happy they all delivered good performances.”

Americanrevolution, owned by WinStar Farm and CHC Inc., collared stablemate Following Sea in deep stretch to secure his first Grade 1 victory. Pletcher previously saddled 2001 Cigar Mile one-two finishers Left Bank and Graeme Hall.

The son of leading third-crop sire Constitution cut back to one mile after making three straight starts going nine furlongs. He entered the Cigar Mile from a victory against his Empire State-bred counterparts in the Empire Classic on October 30 at Belmont Park following a third in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby one month prior at Parx.

Manny Franco, aboard third-place finisher Plainsman, filed an objection for possible interference in mid-stretch of the Cigar Mile, but no change was made in the order of finish.

Pletcher said he was delighted to see Americanrevolution display capabilities at various distances, adding that he was much similar to that of his sire, a Pletcher stable alumna.

“There’s a lot of good horses that can sprint and route and he seems versatile enough to do that,” Pletcher said. “His sire was the same way. They were both talented horses.”

Pletcher, WinStar Farm and CHC Inc. also campaign Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good, who will point to the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on January 29 at Gulfstream Park.

“He [Americanrevolution] will go to WinStar and get a little freshening and we’ll come up with a game plan,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully things continue to go well with Life Is Good. He’ll start off in the Pegasus. We’ll try to keep those two on separate paths, but we’ll worry about that when the time comes.”

Following Sea, a Spendthrift Farm owned son of Runhappy, entered the Cigar Mile from a troubled third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, where he drew the rail and had to steady in upper stretch, angling several paths wide before closing to round out the trifecta. Two starts back, he defeated multiple graded stakes-winner Firenze Fire in the Grade 2 Vosburgh on October 9 at Belmont Park.

Following Sea also drew the rail in the Cigar Mile which Pletcher said could have had an effect on the outcome of both races.

“I feel bad for him drawing the rail twice in a row in two races where an outside post could have made a big difference in the outcome for him,” Pletcher said. “He was setting some pretty solid fractions for the way the track was playing yesterday while under some pressure from Ginobili and was able to shake him off. He fought hard to the wire, Americanrevolution just got some steam later. I was really proud of both horses’ performances.”

Pletcher said the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, traditionally run on the Belmont Stakes undercard, could be a long term goal for Following Sea.

“We know he loves Belmont, so we’ll keep the Met Mile in play,” Pletcher said. “I’ll talk to the guys at Spendthrift, but we’ll probably take him to Florida and freshen him up a bit and target something like the [Grade 1] Carter [at Aqueduct].”

Donegal Racing’s Mo Donegal displayed determination in the Remsen, battling with impressive maiden winner Zandon down the Aqueduct stretch and coming out a half-length on top as both horses separated themselves by nearly 10 lengths from the rest of the field.

Mo Donegal, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, bumped with Zandon, piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, in the final jumps, but a jockey’s objection by Velazquez and inquiry by the stewards resulted in no change to the order of finish.

“I liked the way he ran. Those two clearly separated themselves from the rest of the field,” Pletcher said. “He put himself into the race, got himself into a good position and then he had to wait, wait, wait. He then had to angle out and lose a little ground and momentum when he did. He’s shown improvement in each start.”

Mo Donegal, a son of Uncle Mo, earned 10 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Derby for the Remsen score and Pletcher said the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth on March 5 at Gulfstream Park [50-20-10-5 qualifying points] could be a target.

“I’ll talk to Jerry [Crawford of Donegal Racing] about it. We talked about it before the race yesterday and told him we planned on going to Palm Beach this week,” Pletcher said. “We could use the Fountain of Youth on March 5 as a possible target. The great thing about that time of year is there’s a prep every weekend, so it’s a matter of figuring out the right one for him.”

Pletcher previously saddled Bluegrass Cat [2005] and Overanalyze [2012] to Remsen scores. Both horses competed in the Kentucky Derby the following year, finishing a respective second and 11th.

Following the Remsen, Pletcher captured the Demoiselle for the seventh time with Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House’s Nest.

The daughter of Curlin earned 10 qualifying points toward the 2022 Kentucky Oaks when capturing the Remsen’s female counterpart race. A claim of foul lodged by runner-up Venti Valentine’s trainer Jorge Abreu alleging interference in the stretch was dismissed.

Nest, a full-sister to Grade 1 winner Idol, will target major preps on the Kentucky Oaks trail this winter.

“She’ll go down to Florida and we’ll look at a two-prep schedule for her leading up to the Oaks,” Pletcher said. “We’ll have to figure out what those two will be. I think everything is in play. It just comes down to timing really.”

Pletcher added that Grade 1-placed maiden Commandperformance will join his contingent at Palm Beach Downs after a freshening in Kentucky. Following a runner-up in the Grade 1 Champagne, the son of Union Rags was fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar.

“Everything is in play for him, including a maiden race,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said he’s looking forward to the opportunities ahead for his stable next year.

“We’re excited. It’s great having some quality horses that are staying in training for another year,” Pletcher said. “We’re getting Malathaat back as well and we’re excited about our yearling crop as well. It’s fun and we’re looking forward to it, but we also know that every day is a new challenge.”

While Pletcher will soon take his show on the road to South Florida for the winter, he will still maintain a division in New York. Among the horses likely to remain in New York for the winter include recent maiden winner A Mo Reay, who Pletcher said will target the $100,000 Busanda on January 23 at Aqueduct – a 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifier.

Pletcher added that First Constitution, a last-out second in a November 28 allowance optional claimer, will remain in New York and target the $100,000 Jazil on January 22 at Aqueduct.

Lady Rocket to be freshened, pointed towards Grade 1 company next year

Co-owner Frank Fletcher said he was elated to see Lady Rocket relish the stretch out in distance to a one-turn mile when she dominated the Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

A wire-to-wire winner of the Go for Wand, Lady Rocket set quick fractions with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, coasting through an opening quarter in 23.22 seconds and a half-mile in 46.54. Geared down in the final sixteenth, Lady Rocket crossed the wire nine lengths the better of Bella Vita in second, stopping the clock in 1:36.52. She earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure for her impressive effort.

Racing at a mile for the first time in the Go for Wand, going longer was a question for the 4-year-old filly, who had to dig down and fend off a late bid from Glass Ceiling to win her division of the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie at Belmont Park by a neck in her last start.

With her hard-earned Pumpkin Pie victory in mind, Fletcher, who co-owns the daughter of Tale of the Cat with Ten Strike Racing, said he watched the Go for Wand with bated breath.

“I was really nervous because of the mile,” Fletcher said. “Her best distance was seven furlongs coming into this race and that was a really close race. We were scared to death of the mile. When she won as well as she did, we were shocked and surprised. I’m very pleased with how she ran. We watched it on the TV dumbfounded.”

With her first graded stakes victory now on her resume, Lady Rocket will be given time off to prepare for her 2022 campaign. Both Fletcher and trainer Brad Cox hope her performance Saturday is the start of a successful journey to Grade 1 glory.

“She’ll be at Belmont for a bit before getting some time off," Fletcher said. "Brad [Cox] said he thinks she needs a little break; she’s been racing once a month for a while. She’ll be on the farm for two or three months and then we’ll point her to a Grade 1. She’s becoming a lot stronger and is finding a new gear. I think she could even go beyond a mile now seeing how well she handled it.”

Along with Lady Rocket, Fletcher also owns multiple graded stakes winner Frank’s Rockette and Grade 3 winner Candy Man Rocket, who are both stabled with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Frank’s Rockette, who finished third in the listed Dream Supreme at Churchill Downs in her last start on November 13, has now joined Mott’s Florida string of horses after spending the fall in Kentucky.

“She was training at Churchill and is in Florida right now,” Fletcher said of the Into Mischief mare. “We’ll point her to a nice race there. She came out of her last race well.”

Candy Man Rocket made an appearance on the road to the Kentucky Derby this spring when he won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs and finished off the board in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct. 

Away from the races since a runner-up effort in the six-furlong Gold Fever at Belmont in May, the 3-year-old son of Candy Ride is working his way back to a campaign that will see him sprinting going forward.

“He’s down at Payson Park right now working on getting his feet a little better,” Fletcher said. “We found out in his last race that he didn’t want to go long. He ran a great race at six furlongs and got caught at the wire. We think he’ll be hard to beat at the sprint distance. He’ll come back in a race down in Florida; we aren’t sure where yet.”

As for next year’s Kentucky Derby hopefuls, Fletcher shared his excitement for recent maiden special weight winner Rocket Dawg, who was a debut winner going seven furlongs at Churchill on November 19 by 5 ½ lengths. After flashing his talent in his debut, a step up to graded stakes company could be in the Classic Empire colt’s future.

“He was very impressive in that debut. He’s got a ton of potential and we’re excited about him,” Fletcher said. “We’ll run him back in an allowance and if he can hold the form from his maiden win in allowance company, we’ll point him to the Southwest at Oaklawn. We think he’ll do well.”

Rocket One, another impressive maiden winner for Fletcher this fall, will be returning to turf after giving the dirt a try with a pair of sixth-place finishes in the Grade 2 Castle and Key Bourbon at Churchill on October 10 and an optional-claimer in his most recent start on November 27.

A 1 ½ length winner of a maiden special weight at Kentucky Downs in his third career start, Fletcher said switching back to the turf makes the most sense for the 2-year-old Into Mischief colt.

“He’s down at Payson Park right now and we’ll get him back on the grass at Gulfstream Park this winter," Fletcher said. "He showed us his potential and talent in that turf maiden and we know that’s where he wants to be. I would like to have dirt horses since I prefer to run at Oaklawn, but I also want to win. So we’ll get him where he needs to be to win.”

J L’s Rockette, who finished seventh in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga and ninth in the Ainsworth at Kentucky Downs in her last start on September 12, will be turned out and freshened for a few months before making her return to the races.

Just Read It ready to blossom second time off the layoff in Garland of Roses; Fromanothamutha to turn back

Just Read It, trained and co-owned by Ray Handal with Ken Russell and Brown Road Racing, will look to secure her second stakes win at the Big A in Saturday's $100,000 Garland of Roses, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

A second-out maiden winner at the Big A in January, the sophomore daughter of Constitution captured the six-furlong Cicada here on March 20. She returned from a nearly eight-month layoff on November 3 to finish a closing third in a six-furlong optional-claiming sprint at Churchill Downs.

"It was a good effort," Handal said. "She's matured from what I've seen in the morning. She's gotten bigger and she's mentally more put together. I expect her to run an improved race. We know she likes Aqueduct, so that always helps."

Out of the Broken Vow mare Mybrokenhome, the Kentucky-bred was purchased for $70,000 at the OBS July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Fromanothamutha, owned by Handal in partnership with Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Craig Taylor, and Peter Rinato, faded to seventh after setting the pace in Saturday's nine-furlong Grade 2 Remsen won by Mo Donegal at the Big A.

The Unified juvenile, a $120,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, entered the Remsen from a prominent second to Mo Donegal in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on October 21 at Belmont.

Handal said Fromanothamutha earned his way into the Remsen.

"He looked like he was doing it pretty comfortably, I'd just chalk it up to him not liking the distance," Handal said. "He was a maiden running in a Grade 2 but he was beaten a length to Mo Donegal going into it and Mo Donegal won the race, so I feel justified taking the shot in there."

Handal said Fromanothamutha will look to clear the maiden condition before possibly taking a shot at the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile on March 5 at the Big A.

"He's a lovely colt and I think we'll just take him back to one-turn races," Handal said. "I think I'll give him a two-week break and freshen him up and try and knock the maiden out and then look at something down the line like the Gotham."

Merrylegs Farm's Thinking It Over, a 2-year-old daughter of Overanalyze bred in the Empire State by Merrylegs Farm North, garnered a 62 Beyer for a debut maiden score sprinting six furlongs in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden sprint on November 12 at Aqueduct.

"She was MTO that day and I thought it would take a really good New York-bred to beat her first time out," Handal said. "When we got in off that spot, I thought she was going to be double tough."

Handal said he would like to eventually target a state-bred stakes with Thinking It Over with the first opportunity being the Franklin Square, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies on January 15.

"We'll look towards the New York-bred stakes program through the winter with her, but I'd like to get her in a '1X' first," Handal said.

Ken Russell and Richard Newman Racing's Foolish Ghost, a 6-year-old New York-bred son of Mineshaft, has posted a record of 37-9-7-5 for purse earnings of $462,122.

Handal said he's considering a number of options for the speedy gelding, who captured the 6 1/2-furlong John Morrissey in July at the Spa.

"We'll look towards an allowance race and get some confidence. He loves this track," said Handal.

Foolish Ghost, who finished fourth last out in the Hudson on October 30 at Belmont, sports a record of 10-1-4-1 at the Big A.

Aqueduct winter meet Week 1 stakes probables

Saturday, December 11

$100,000 Garland of Roses

Probable: Aunt Kat (Bill Mott), Glass Ceiling (Charlton Baker), Just Read It (Ray Handal), Sadie Lady (Rob Atras), Song River (Cherie DeVaux)

Possible: Call on Mischief (Kelly Breen), Dr B (Butch Reid, Jr.), Ever Wonder (Robert Gorham)