- Pletcher has entered Keyed Entry in the seven furlong Woody Stephens, but it sounds like he's not going to run. "After running a 1 1/4 -mile race (Kentucky Derby) is he ready to fire his very best?" [Albany Times-Union] It could be argued that he only ran about seven-eighths that day too. Pletcher apparently got a tip from Tom Albertrani than helped him decide to save Sunriver for the Belmont.
"Tom Albertrani (Bernardini's trainer) told me last winter that Bernardini might be the best horse he has ever had," Pletcher said. "We thought about sending Sunriver in the Preakness, but when they decided to go there with Bernardini, we switched Sunriver to the Peter Pan." [NY Post]Rick Violette is looking for High Finance to be on the lead, and Newsday's Paul Moran thinks that the race has a pace setup not unlike the Belmont won by Commendable ($39.60) in 2000.
"It seems that we have the most speed. If [the lead] comes easily,"...Violette said, "we'll take it. Sir Percy won the Epsom Derby [the 12-furlong British classic last week] without having had a race over a mile. Hopefully, we'll follow in his shoes." [Newsday]- Deputy Glitters will scratch if the track turns up wet, according to Albertrani. "After the way he ran in the Champagne and Wood Memorial.....we definitely know he doesn't like the mud."
3 Comments:
...so Pletcher was more concerned with Bernardini than he was with Barbaro (or Brother Derek)???...or was Bernardini simply the straw that broke the camel's back?...or is Pletcher just bragging that he knew Bernardini would win the Preakness (as if he did)...
...anyway, here's what i can tell you about the Keyed Entry situation, as i've been "keying" on sprints my entire handicapping career...sure, Keyed Entry has great speed...at least, he did back at Gulfstream...but he's now run in the Gotham, Wood, and Derby consecutively...that's three routes in a row, over a period of months...his speed has almost certainly been dulled...not only did he run in the longer races, but he was training for them as well, and now he's grown accustomed to running slow early (by upper-echelon sprint standards, anyway)...if he contests the early pace, he'll get cooked up front...the 7-furlong distance will help his cause, because they likely won't be travelling as fast early as they would be at 6 furlongs....but they'll be going faster than he's accustomed to, no doubt about it...if he wis the race, he'll almost ceratinly have to do it with a late rally...throw in the fact that he's facing perhaps the best sprinter in the country (Too Much Bling), and another who couyld be right up there with him (Songster), and Keyed Entry's prospects look downright bleak...perhaps farther down the line he'll be competitive with these horses, but i don't think he'll pose much of a threat on Saturday...incidentally, i think Too Much Bling is better at 6 furlongs than he is at 7 furlongs...he really has an astonishing turn of foot at 6 furlongs...and i'm not crazy about his rail draw...but yeah, i'm picking him to win anyway...hard to pick against him...btw, anyone else surprised he didn't take a shot in the Met Mile?...i think he would've had a fighting chance in there...
Pletcher sounds as if he's going to scratch him; but if he goes, I couldn't agree with you more; I think he's an absolute throwout. And as you know, I like this horse. Not in this race.
yea im with you he showed that he has great potential in his earlier races but this would be a tough task with Songster and Too Much Bling
Post a Comment