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Mo Donegal set for Kentucky Derby after impressive score in G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino

by NYRA Press Office

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will look to secure his third Kentucky Derby after Donegal Racing’s Mo Donegal punched his ticket to the “Run for the Roses” with a neck score in Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Mo Donegal, with Joel Rosario up, rallied up the rail through the final turn before angling outside of pacesetter Early Voting to secure the victory in the nine-furlong test which offered 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

The victory provided Pletcher a seventh win in the Wood Memorial, one victory shy of the record held by fellow Hall of Famer “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons.

“I thought it was a super effort on his part. We worked out the trip we hoped to with the exception of the hot pace scenario we hoped would develop,” Pletcher said. “Aside from that, everything worked out well. He put in a good, sustained run and a fast final quarter. He found a seam when he needed it. It was a big run from him.”

On Friday, Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbreds Partners and Michael House’s Nest posted an authoritative score in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland to give Pletcher a shot at winning his fifth Kentucky Oaks and tying the record held by Hall of Famer Woody Stephens.

Pletcher won the Oaks last year with Shadwell Stable’s Malathaat, who followed a similar path to Nest's, winning both the Grade 2 Demoiselle at the Big A and the Ashland. Both fillies picked up their first Oaks qualifying points in the Tempted at Aqueduct, which Malathaat won and Nest was a closing third.

Pletcher said Nest, by Curlin and out of the A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, is following a tried and true path.

“They both broke their maidens on debut at Belmont before running in the Tempted and the Demoiselle and then the Ashland,” Pletcher said. “Both are Curlin fillies out of A.P. Indy mares and not that they physically resemble each other that much, but both are extremely talented.”

Pletcher said Nest will continue that trend by training at Churchill Downs.

“We’ll look to follow the same path we did last year with Malathaat. We'll ship over to Churchill next week and she'll have a couple of breezes there,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said he will also send Mo Donegal to Churchill early as he looks to provide Donegal Racing with their first Derby score after previous attempts with Paddy O’Prado 3rd, [2010], Dullahan [3rd, 2012] and Keen Ice [7th, 2015].

“We've always felt like the mile and a quarter distance would suit him well,” Pletcher said of Mo Donegal. “In the Derby, it's important for everyone to work out a trip. A lot of it will be pace dependent and being able to find seams when he needs to. It's important not to get stopped at a bad time.”

Pletcher said he feels like he holds a strong Derby hand which also includes Whisper Hill Farm’s Grade 1 Florida Derby runner-up Charge It and possibly Sumaya U.S. Stable’s Pioneer of Medina, who is currently 24th on the leaderboard with 25 points.

“We're blessed to have some candidates,” Pletcher said. “Like everyone else, we need them to continue to improve and stay healthy and keep moving forward and like the surface at Churchill, but we're pleased with where we are at the moment.”

Mo Donegal was one of three Pletcher trainees in the Wood along with maiden Long Term [7th] and New York-bred maiden winner Golden Code [8th], who finished third in the Grade 3 Gotham in March at the Big A.

“We were taking a chance, so we'll regroup and get back in a maiden race with Long Term and Golden Code is eligible for New York-bred allowance races. We'll give them plenty of time after that and let them re-group,” Pletcher said.

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Gainesway Stable’s Wit returned from a six-month layoff to reel in Highly Respected for a nose score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores.

“I thought he had too much to do at the eighth pole, but he kept finding a little more and got there just in the nick of time,” Pletcher said.

The Practical Joke colt showed promise by winning his first two starts, including the Grade 3 Sanford in July at Saratoga. However, he was hampered by troubled starts in his maiden score and in a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Hopeful in September at the Spa before completing his juvenile campaign with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont.

Pletcher said Wit ran to his impressive works at Palm Beach Downs.

“We loved the way he got out of the gate and put himself into the race which he had not been doing in previous starts. I thought it was an excellent comeback,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said Wit will now point to the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens, a seven-furlong test for sophomores on Belmont Stakes Day on June 11.

“We’ll give him a little bit of space and dial in on the Woody Stephens as his next target. He seems to have come out of it well,” Pletcher said.

WinStar Farm and Siena Farm’s Dean’s List, who was second in the Grade 3 Gotham, overcame a troubled start and wide trip down the lane to finish fourth in the Bay Shore.

“He was taken out of his natural running style when he got pinched back after the break,” Pletcher said. “I thought, considering that, he put in a pretty good run, but he just couldn't quite wear them down. But he did come with a bit of a finish. He's a horse that's probably better suited to be part of the early pace.”

Pletcher said Dean’s List could come under consideration for the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill.

Lawana and Robert Low’s Classy Edition, a New York-bred daughter of Classic Empire, finished a prominent fourth in the Grade 3 Gazelle, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies won by Nostalgic.

Bred in the Empire State by Chester and Mary Broman, Classy Edition won her first three starts, all against state-breds, taking the Joseph A. Gimma in September at Belmont and the Key Cents in November at the Big A. She entered the Gazelle from a runner-up effort to Kathleen O. in the Grade 2 Davona Dale in March at Gulfstream Park.

Pletcher said Classy Edition, who is currently 18th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 30 points, will be freshened.

“She's been going pretty steadily,” Pletcher said. “I wasn't totally disappointed with her performance but I thought she had been training a little more strongly than that, and I was expecting her to do just a little bit better than she did. We’ll give her a freshening. She'll go to Kentucky and then zero in on Saratoga.”

Shadwell Stable’s Zaajel finished a distant fourth to Glass Ceiling in Saturday’s Grade 3 Distaff Handicap at the Big A. The 4-year-old Street Sense bay, who won the Grade 2 Mother Goose in June at Belmont, was making her first start since an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Beldame Invitational in October at Belmont.

“She was training well but it was a flat performance with no real excuse," Pletcher said. "We’ll regroup and look to get her back in something at Belmont.”

Pletcher was also represented by a pair of contenders in Saturday’s Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland with Emmanuel finishing a pacesetting third and Commandperformance a troubled eighth.

Pletcher said WinStar Farm and Siena Farn’s Emmanuel may have been hampered by the main track which was rated good.

“It's hard to judge the track and how it was playing on the day because the weather was changing with sleet and snow and rain. It dried out throughout the day,” Pletcher said. “I thought the race unfolded really well for him. I thought the fractions were reasonable and we got a trip that we wanted and he just flattened out a little the last part.”

Emmanuel, by More Than Ready and out of the Hard Spun mare Hard Cloth, will be freshened with an eye to a turf start in the Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge on June 4 at Belmont.

Pletcher said following a discussion with Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar Farm’s racing operations, that a good turf debut could propel Emmanuel to the Grade 1, $1 million Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational, the first leg of NYRA’s Turf Triple series on July 9.

“I talked to Elliott this morning and Emmanuel is going to go out to WinStar and stay in some light training out there and get a bit of a break,” Pletcher said. “We've had in the back of our mind he could have a future on the turf, so we might target the Pennine Ridge as his next goal with an eye on the Belmont Derby.”

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s graded stakes placed maiden Commandperformance encountered traffic trouble under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

“I thought he ran better than it looks on paper. Irad said he had to tap on the breaks a couple times at critical points when he was trying to move forward,” Pletcher said. “We'll regroup and give him a bit of space now to his next race which will come in a maiden race and hope he develops this summer into the horse we think he can be.”

***

Speaker’s Corner records 114 Beyer Speed Figure for G1 Carter win, likely for G1 Met Mile; Nostalgic bound for G1 Kentucky Oaks

Godolphin bloodstock director Michael Banahan was all smiles at Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s Belmont stable on Sunday morning, the day after the world-class racing and breeding operation captured two of the five graded stakes slated at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Speaker’s Corner registered a career-best 114 Beyer Speed Figure in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets – the highest number recorded by a thoroughbred so far this year – when drawing clear to a 4 1/2-length victory. The astonishing effort will likely warrant a start in the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10 at Belmont Park, which offers a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” berth to the Dirt Mile.

Speaker’s Corner stepped up to a rigorous task in the Carter, where he faced six other last-out winners, including graded stakes winners Mind Control, Green Light Go and First Captain.

“It was a very competitive field. We had a lot of confidence going into it, but for him to step up and do it was great,” Banahan said. “Each race he’s gone from Grade 3, to Grade 2, to Grade 1. He seems like he takes things in stride very well. Each one has been as relatively easy a win as the previous race. It gives us confidence going forward that he can step up again. Hopefully, we see him here on Belmont Stakes Day. It’s a stallion making race, so hopefully he stays in good shape and continues to be in the condition that he’s in at the moment. We’ll go in there cautiously optimistic.”

Speaker’s Corner, by Street Sense, is unbeaten in three starts this year, entering the seven-furlong Carter off a pair of one-turn graded stakes victories at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper on January 29 and the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 5. 

Mott and Godolphin combined to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies with Nostalgic, who made a bold move up the rail to collar pacesetting favorite Venti Valentine for a 1 1/4 length score. The Medaglia d’Oro sophomore filly earned 100 points toward the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

Banahan and Mott assistant Leana Willaford said both Speaker’s Corner and Nostalgic exited Saturday’s test in good order.

“Both horses came out of the race really well, jogged up sound,” said Banahan. “Leana said they were in great shape and looked great in the stall. It hasn’t taken too much out of them, especially Speaker’s Corner. It looks like he did it quite easily yesterday.”

Godolphin won a memorable edition of the 2016 Met Mile when Frosted earned the biggest winning-margin in the race’s history, scoring by 14 1/2 lengths and recording a 123 Beyer.

Banahan said he was pleased with Speaker’s Corner’s eye-popping speed figure.

“It’s nice to get that affirmation on a number that reflected what we saw on the racetrack from a visual standpoint against a contentious enough field,” Banahan said.

Speaker’s Corner touted himself as a juvenile, besting eventual stakes winners Caddo River, Greatest Honor and Miles D at second asking in a Belmont maiden in October 2020. Sidelined for ten months, he returned to action with flying colors at Saratoga, defeating winners going seven furlongs to record a 101 Beyer – his first of six triple digit speed figures.

“He’s always been a nice looking horse since he was a foal and continues to be a good looking horse today,” Banahan said. “He has a great pedigree, so it was vital to win a Grade 1. From a stallion perspective, it means everything. For him to step up and do that, we have a spot for him in the stallion barn. Running the Beyers he’s been running since he was a younger horse to what we ran yesterday would indicate that he’s one of the better horses in the country. People love to breed to milers.”

Godolphin enjoyed a banner year in 2021, earning Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder while winning high profile races with dual champion Essential Quality and Maxfield as well as three Breeders’ Cup races.

While Essential Quality and Maxfield closed the curtain on their prominent careers, Banahan said Speaker’s Corner appears to be filling the void quite well.

“He’s sort of stepped into the role that Essential Quality and Maxfield were at last year,” Banahan said. “Having another Grade 1-winning colt from the same crop as Essential Quality is very special. We’ve been blessed so hopefully it continues on. If he can continue on and have a great year, I don’t know about stretching him out. When a horse is that good doing what he’s doing, it’s best to keep him where he is and there’s plenty of opportunity through the year for him. We won’t get ahead of ourselves but it’s just exciting to have him in the barn.”

A Kentucky homebred, Speaker’s Corner is the first foal out of the unraced Bernardini mare Tyburn Brook, whose dam is 2006 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Round Pond. 

Nostalgic provided Godolphin with their fifth Gazelle conquest, previously winning with Dance Card [2012], Flashing [2009], Music Note [2008] and Imperial Gesture [2002].

Banahan expressed a sense of cautious optimism heading into the Kentucky Oaks, where she will face undefeated fillies Echo Zulu, the 2021 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, and Kathleen O. 

“Yesterday was vitally important for the filly to win at the graded level. Ater she was able to do that, we can swing at the fences a little bit,” Banahan said. “It looks like extra distance won’t harm her in any way. A little pace in the race would suit her as well. She was brave yesterday; she had to go through a pretty tight hole down the stretch. She didn’t have much room, but she had plenty left in the tank and she was willing enough and brave enough to do that as well.  

“Obviously, she has to step up again. The Oaks field looks as deep as it has been in many years,” Banahan added. “She deserves her chance to win there and see how she stacks up against some of the best fillies in the country.”

Prevalence gave Godolphin a victory in the Grade 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland on Saturday afternoon. Later that day, Javanica earned graded stakes black type for the third time in Santa Anita’s Grade 2 Royal Heroine.

“It was a super day all around, both at Aqueduct and Keeneland yesterday as well,” Banahan said. “To win three graded races and get a graded placing at Santa Anita made for a super day.”

***

G3 Gazelle runner-up Venti Valentine’s next start still undecided; maiden Howe Street earns 81 BSF for runner-up debut

NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Parkland Thoroughbred’s Venti Valentine has moved into seventh place on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 94 points after she was awarded 40 points for her frontrunning second-place effort in the $250,000, Grade 3 Gazelle on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack. But despite her eligibility for the Grade 1 “lilies for the fillies,’ the daughter of Firing Line is not a definite for a trip to Churchill Downs on the first Friday in May just yet.

Trainer Jorge Abreu said that he is also considering routing the chestnut filly towards the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn at one mile on June 11 at Belmont Park.

“She looks good this morning,” said Abreu. “We haven’t committed to the Oaks yet, but it’s on the table. Are we going to skip that and go to the Acorn? We’ll give her a few more days and see.”

Venti Valentine’s Gazelle effort came on the heels of a dominant victory in the Busher Invitational on March 5 at the Big A, providing a mild upset under Manny Franco to make her mark in the sophomore filly division. Sent off as the even-money favorite with Franco up again in the Gazelle, Venti Valentine set the pace and led at each point of call before the Jose Ortiz-piloted Nostalgic slipped through on the rail to take command at the sixteenth pole and best her by 1 1/4 lengths.

“I think the rail was open for [Nostalgic] to come through,” said Abreu “I don’t think [Franco] did anything wrong putting her on the lead because there was no speed, he just left the gap open on the rail.”

Venti Valentine has been a consistent competitor for Abreu, winning on debut sprinting six furlongs at Belmont in September before scoring her first victory against winners in the Maid of the Mist over a sloppy and sealed Big Sandy. She made the step up to graded company in her next outing, finishing a game second by a neck to subsequent Grade 1 Ashland winner Nest in her first start around two turns.

Venti Valentine is now the second foal out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold to contest the Gazelle, her half-sister Espresso Shot finishing fifth in the 2019 edition for the same owners along with Maspeth Stables.

The Abreu barn debuted a talented colt on Saturday’s undercard as Howe Street finished second in his first start for owner and breeder John D. Gunther.

A son of Honor Code, Howe Street earned an 81 Beyer Speed Figure for his runner-up effort to Bay Street Money by a length, racing over the turf from off the pace under Trevor McCarthy to unleash a powerful run down the stretch and pick up place honors 1 3/4 lengths clear of his other 10 foes.

Out of the unraced Street Sense mare Street Rumor, Howe Street is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed stakes winner Conviction Trade and Equal Pay, who was a 10-length maiden winner at Gulfstream Park on March 10 for trainer Chad Brown.

***

Glass Ceiling streaks to career-best 98BSF in G3 Distaff Handicap

Glass Ceiling, trained and co-owned by Charlton Baker with Michael S. Foster, bested an accomplished field by five lengths in Saturday’s seven-furlong Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap for older fillies and mares at the Big A.

The 5-year-old Constitution mare streaked to her fourth consecutive win and fifth in her last six starts with a prominent trip under regular rider Dylan Davis, stalking the early foot of Kept Waiting from second position before pouncing to a convincing score.

“She's getting to the point where she has that speed and just puts herself right in the game. She's maturing. She's getting bigger, wider and stronger,” Baker said. “She came out of the race great and is bouncing around this morning like she didn't do nothing.”

Baker spoke highly of the bond between Glass Ceiling and Davis, who has been aboard for her past seven starts.

“He's figured her out. He breezes her all the time and is getting to know her well, too,” Baker said. “They've become a team. He knows when to ask her and how she responds. He knows the acceleration she has and he teams up with her really good.”

Glass Ceiling, who was claimed for $40,000 in May at Belmont, has since posted a record of 9-5-2-1. In that span, she has climbed the ranks from allowance winner to graded stakes winner with scores in the Pumpkin Pie in October at Belmont and the Garland of Roses in December at Aqueduct ahead of making the grade in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie in February at Laurel Park.

Baker attributed her success to both physical and mental development.

“I think it's maturity and she's getting a lot calmer. She's reserving her energy,” Baker said. “She was very nervous in her training and going to the track and now she's a lot calmer and putting it together mentally and physically. She's just a lot more consistent.”

Baker said Glass Ceiling has also benefitted from space between starts. The talented bay finished second to eventual Grade 1-winner Bella Sofia at first asking for Baker in July at Belmont and he brought her back 13 days later to finish fourth in a Saratoga allowance for her only off-the-board effort for current connections.

“The time between races lets her come back as a powerhouse. The only bad race she ran for me was when I tried to bring her back in two weeks,” Baker said. “I claimed her and she finished second to a really good horse, Bella Sofia, and then I tried to bring her right back at Saratoga because the race was seven eighths and she just didn't fire. After that, I started to give her more time.”

Baker said Glass Ceiling will likely target the seven-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Bed O’ Roses on June 10 at Belmont

“That's the plan, but it could change,” Baker said. “The space and the time works.”

***

City Man scores in $100K Danger’s Hour; Gufo to return in G1 Man o’ War; Pizza Bianca possible for $100K Memories of Silver

Trainer Christophe Clement saddled multiple stakes-winner City Man to a victory off the bench in Saturday’s $100,000 Danger’s Hour, a one-mile turf test for older horses.

Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles, the New York-bred son of Mucho Macho Man has won a stakes race each year since his 2-year-old campaign in 2019.

Clement has options with the versatile City Man, who could either point to the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy on May 7, a race he finished second in last year, or the $125,000 Kingston against fellow New York-breds on May 30.

“He’s been competing at the stakes level since he was a 2-year-old so it’s fun for us. He came out of the race in good shape,” Clement said. “We don’t have to decide now, we’ll just train him and see how he goes.”

City Man, bred by Moonstar Farm, won the state-bred Funny Cide in 2019 over the Saratoga main track at two before capturing the Gio Ponti against open company over the Aqueduct turf the following year. Last year, he gave Clement the exacta in the West Point on August 27 at Saratoga, where he bested multiple stakes-winner Therapist.

Clement said dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Gufo will point to the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War on May 14 at Belmont Park.

Owned by Otter Bend Stables, Gufo made a triumphant seasonal debut when capturing the Grade 2 Pan American on April 2 at Gulfstream Park. The 5-year-old son of Declaration of War was a late-closing second in last year’s Man o’ War, kicking off a prominent campaign that included a win in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational at Saratoga.

Gufo remains at Payson Park Training Center in South Florida and will ship to Clement’s primary division in New York within the next week. Slated to join him on his journey back north is Bobby Flay’s Pizza Bianca, who has not raced since capturing the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar.

Clement said Pizza Bianca, a 3-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock, could make her seasonal debut in the $100,000 Memories of Silver on April 24 at Aqueduct Racetrack.