G1-placed New York-bred River Thames breezes for G1 Preakness

• G1-placed New York-bred River Thames breezes for G1 Preakness
• G1-winner Nutella Fella points to G3 True North
• Mo Plex works at Saratoga, eyes $200K Mike Lee

WinStar Farm, CHC, Inc., Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable’s New York-bred River Thames breezed a half-mile in 48.25 seconds on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Grade 1-placed Maclean’s Music bay is preparing for the Grade 1 Preakness, the 1 3/16-mile second leg of the Triple Crown, on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course.

In Saturday’s breeze, with exercise rider Fernando Rivera up, River Thames started just off of and to the outside of dual stakes-placed state-bred Trust Fund [48.48 seconds], before drawing up alongside in the turn and finishing at least one length in front.

“He went very well, in hand throughout,” said Pletcher. “He put in a nice half-mile in 48 [seconds] and change. He galloped out around the turn strongly and looked good.”

Pletcher said he clocked River Thames galloping out in 1:01 and 1:15.

“They followed the instructions perfectly,” Pletcher said.

River Thames was a three-quarter-length third last out in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland. He rallied between the victorious closer Burnham Square and pacesetting runner-up East Avenue, who next finished sixth and eighth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, respectively.

“We are happy with his condition,” said Pletcher. “He has bounced out of the Blue Grass well. He has been training consistently here. He has put on a few pounds, so we are happy with the way he is coming into it.”

River Thames, after a 2-for-2 start to his career at Gulfstream Park, was a neck second to subsequent Kentucky Derby-winner Sovereignty in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in March there. River Thames tracked Neoequos, who showed similar speed in the Derby, before taking over in the stretch until Sovereignty edged clear in the final sixteenth.

“He has proven that he has held good company,” Pletcher said. “We’ve been able to give him a little space here, after his first three races were all pretty close together. So hopefully that little extra time from [the Blue Grass] to the Preakness and being fresh, gives him a chance to make a move forward.”

Pletcher, a two-time Kentucky Derby-victor [Super Saver, 2010; Always Dreaming, 2017] and four-time Belmont Stakes-winner [Rags to Riches, 2007; Palace Malice, 2013; Tapwrit, 2017; Mo Donegal, 2022], seeks his first Preakness score.

“I’d love to check that box, we will give it a try,” Pletcher said.

Bred in the Empire State by CTR Stables, River Thames, a $200,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Discreet Cat mare Proportionality. His second dam, All Mettle, is a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winners Paulassilverlining and Dads Caps.

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G1-winner Nutella Fella points to G3 True North

Bell Gable Stable’s Nutella Fella will return to the scene of two of his best career efforts when he contests the Grade 3, $400,000 True North, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older horses on the June 7 Belmont Stakes Day card at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Gary Contessa, the now 4-year-old Runhappy bay rose to prominence with a 54-1 upset in the 2023 Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga when rallying from last-of-10 and 6 1/4-lengths off the pace to notch a 1 1/2-length score over next-out Grade 1 Champagne-winner Timberlake.

Nutella Fella made his next outing on last year’s Belmont Stakes card when overcoming a troubled start to finish a deep-closing 1 3/4-length third in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun won by Book’em Danno. Nutella Fella earned a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure for his Woody Stephens effort.

The $12,000 purchase from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale has made three starts this year, including a gritty neck score over next out optional-claiming winner Caramel Chip in the six-furlong Listed Pelican in February at Tampa Bay Downs.

In that event, with regular rider Junior Alvarado up, Nutella Fella needed every bit of the stretch run to squeeze up the rail to the inside of the Irad Ortiz, Jr.-piloted Caramel Chip.

“He made three different moves, and it was the third one that got him the win,” Contessa said. “You see a lot of horses that cut to the inside, and they hang. They just don't like being in there. He's a horse that really likes to win.

“He made a move to the outside at the top of the stretch - the hole closed, and he went back behind horses and at the eighth pole he went to the outside again and the hole closed,” Contessa continued. “So, he ducked down to the rail and came through and won. He made three absolute moves that day. It was a great ride and also a great show of how much heart this horse has.”

Last out, Nutella Fella endured a difficult outing when fractious at the gate en route to an off-the-board effort in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Commonwealth on April 8 at Keeneland.

“He threw an absolute fit at Keeneland. Even though we schooled him at Keeneland he knows the difference between morning and afternoon and the afternoon is always going to be his Achilles heel,” Contessa said. “He caught his bridle on the back of the gate and ripped the bridle off his head. They had to get a completely different bit and bridle that they keep on hand and get the bridle back on his head while he held up the whole field. He did everything wrong at Keeneland, but he still tried. Nothing went right for him that day.

“If things go right for him, I expect him to be tough in the True North,” Contessa added. “The New York gate crew knows him, and they know how to handle him and what his shenanigans are.”

Nutella Fella returned to Florida and worked once at Tampa Bay Downs on April 27 before shipping up to Saratoga where he breezed five-eighths in 1:01.60 Wednesday over the Oklahoma Training Track with Katie Davis up.

“He's doing great. The best thing we did for him was wintering in Florida. He looks like a million dollars,” Contessa said. “We shipped him up and that was his first work here and it was amazing - he went the first three-eighths in 38 and went 1:01 and change. He seems to love Saratoga.”

Bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm, Nutella Fella is out of the Candy Ride mare Krissy’s Candy, who is a half-sister to the graded stakes-placed duo Danny Boy and Meal Penalty. He has banked $318,875 via a 6-3-1-1 ledger.

Sky Masterson was also on the work tab Wednesday at Saratoga, covering five-eighths in 1:01.88. The 3-year-old The Factor colt, bred in New York by Very Un Stable, has banked $72,325 through a 13-1-2-3 ledger that includes a last-out pacesetting fourth in a turf optional-claimer at Tampa.

“He's a neat New York-bred allowance horse. He's been running all winter in Florida in open company and will be real tough in a New York-bred allowance,” Contessa said.

The $50,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is campaigned by Joseph Grant, Can Do Racing, Greg Marsh and William Maher.

Sean Shay’s Another Cleeshay, a 3-year-old New York-bred daughter of Volatile, has missed the board in her last three outings which came in one-turn stakes company. The $40,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale purchase, bred by 3C Stables, graduated by 9 1/2-lengths on debut last summer in a restricted Saratoga maiden and was last seen finishing sixth in the Gasparilla at Tampa.

“We just couldn't get the right distance for her at Tampa. She's probably a two-turn horse and she'll love getting back to beating up on New York-breds, that's for sure,” Contessa said.

Contessa noted that he is hopeful of landing a few more Spa maiden races this summer.

“I have nine 2-year-olds that I handpicked and am really excited about,” Contessa said. “I buy them for $30-50,000 and I have some really nice ones. When Saratoga is ready, I’ll be ready.”

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Mo Plex works at Saratoga, eyes $200K Mike Lee

R and H Stable’s graded stakes-winning New York-bred Mo Plex returned to the work tab Wednesday over Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma dirt training track, covering a half-mile in 49.23 seconds.

“I was very, very impressed with his work,” said trainer Jeremiah Englehart. “It seems like he’s been happy getting back up to Saratoga. He did just about everything we wanted to see – a nice, easy first eighth in 14, and I had the gallop out in 1:13 and three for three-quarters. He’s doing very well.”

The talented Complexity sophomore was last seen winning the open-company Listed Bay Shore on April 19 at Aqueduct Racetrack, besting Faster Gator by a head after dueling with that rival throughout the seven furlongs. The effort was awarded a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

Following the victory, co-owner Rick Higgins indicated an interest in trying the already Grade 1-placed bay in the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on June 7 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at the Spa. While that race is still in the back of their minds, Englehart said it is likely Mo Plex will be aimed towards the state-bred $200,000 Mike Lee going the same distance on June 4 at the festival.

“I think my clients Rick and Howard [Read] have done a good job of managing him as far as where they want to go,” Englehart said. “There might still be a question about [running in the Woody Stephens], and for me, I would have no problem running him there, but the fact that he’s a New York-bred is an added bonus and that’s why we focus on the program.”

Bred by Everything’s Cricket Racing, Mo Plex has proven his talents both against open graded company and state-breds, including a dominant 10-length debut victory against state-breds last June at Belmont at the Big A and a strong one-length score in the Grade 3 Sanford in July at the Spa. He went on to close out his juvenile campaign with a nose score in the state-bred Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital at Saratoga and on-the-board efforts in the Grade 1 Champagne and state-bred Sleepy Hollow at Belmont at the Big A.

Englehart said Mo Plex has continued his good form into this campaign, which began with a narrowly-beaten third in the state-bred Gander on March 8 at the Big A.

“The 2-year-olds that seem they have a leg up on the others, you always look for them to make that transition to their 3-year-old year and it doesn’t always happen,” Englehart said. “With him, we were hoping to see him mature and stay as consistent as he was at two, and so far, he’s done that.

“I think he’s a racehorse,” Englehart added. “He goes out there and tries every time, and that’s pretty much all you can ask for.”