12/01/2012 1:32PM

Gulfstream Park: Capo Bastone transferred from Sadler to Pletcher

By David Grening
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Tom Keyser
Capo Bastone, the third-place finisher in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, will be pointed to the Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Todd Pletcher’s roster of soon-to-be 3-year-olds grew deeper Friday night when Capo Bastone, the third-place finisher in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, arrived in the trainer’s barn at the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida.

Previously with John Sadler in Southern California, Capo Bastone went 1 for 4 on that circuit with a maiden win at Del Mar, followed by a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and a third in the Grade 1 FrontRunner at Santa Anita prior to his third in the Juvenile.

Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which owns Capo Bastone, said the 2013 schedule of stakes restricted to 3-year-olds on the East Coast was more appealing to him than that on the West Coast. Wellman said his first objective for Capo Bastone would be the Grade 2, $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes, a seven-furlong race at Gulfstream on Feb. 2.

“We really wanted to run him in early February and we wanted a one-turn race to get him going,” Wellman said.

Further, Wellman said the schedule at Gulfstream offers “better timing, better spacing and a better progression to give him a legitimate chance to hop on the Derby trail and then prove whether he’s a legitimate Derby prospect.”

Capo Bastone, a son of Street Boss, bled when third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by the Pletcher-trained Shanghai Bobby in the Juvenile. Horses competing in races restricted to 2-year-olds were not permitted to race on Lasix in the Breeders’ Cup.

Wellman said that a few days after the Juvenile, Capo Bastone was sent to the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Santa Ynez, Calif., where he was under the care of Dr. Doug Herthel.

Wellman said that Capo Bastone spent significant time in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to help with any “minor scarring of the lung tissue as a result of the bleeding episode in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.”

Capo Bastone adds to a strong roster of potential Kentucky Derby candidates for Pletcher led by stakes winners Shanghai Bobby, Overanalyze, and Violence.

Dave Schuler More than 1 year ago
John Sadler Rules-lolk-DS
Forego137 More than 1 year ago
Big mistake Wellman, Pletcher is the worst trainer you could send your horse to, he does-not have the best intrest for the horse's well being, just look at his track record. Sadler always give's his horse's opportunity to develope and mature so they can become Graded winners. Say goodbye to your Capo Bastone for he won't be around for the Triple Crown trail much less the Triple Crown or any other race by the time Pletcher is done with him.
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
They'll send Capo to Frankel.
KEVIN D More than 1 year ago
I heard Gulfstream was using more than one finish line .Look at the 4th race on dec 1st ,the jockey on # 10 stops riding 100yds out and lost the race.
John Sisoian More than 1 year ago
Lets remember that the owners are responsible for the well being of their horse. Most of them that are successful give their horses the time they need to mature and become a graded stakes horse. The racing industry often talks about safety , yet they too often overlook how some top trainers run their racing stable.
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
That's putting it nicely, not that Pletcher deserves the courtesy.
paul cervenan More than 1 year ago
It's quite apparent that Aron Welman, either doesn't read DRF, or is so stupid, he is oblivious to facts. Aron, have you ever heard of these colts before: Eskandreya, Uncle Mo, Algorithms ? How about El Padrino,Gemoligist and Super Saver ? Where are they Aron? You're sending a bleeder to "THEE WORST "Caretaker of horses ever! You had a chance with Sadler....you got zero with the "Butcher"! Kiss your horse Capo Bastone goodbye. I will certainly be disapointed if the owners of Delhomme return their colt to "Butcher". Now that they have him away from "Butcher" they should keep him away and find a better trainer. Hope they do ! The horse will race longer,maybe till he's four?
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
Don't know if they'll give her a year to mature but it's said that In Lingerie is done and is going to Frankel. Well, she stood the Pletcher test. Here's to her.
Big Jeff More than 1 year ago
Paul, your comments are completely misguided, at best. As is the case with all and trainers, talented young horse do not always move forward in there three year old seasons. And many do either get injured or sick. The sheer amount of talented YOUNG horses that Pletcher ends up with simply draw the spotlight. The people and money involved behind the scenes in selecting and purchasing thes often very expensive colts are some of the very best at their profession and I am quite sure they know ecactly what Mr. Pletchers program is all about. It is always a great story when "the little guy gets the big horse" and pretty much everyone pulls for him. The plain fact is though, that the horses in the "super barns" get the ultimate care provide by the best peoplewho are backed by nearly unlimited resources.
Thomas Cook More than 1 year ago
Thats Bull Jeff. Sorry. But injections of joints supplemented by legends shots and steroids and growth hormones and Blood doping is not top care.. the little guys have same feed and vitamin programs. Same if not better CARE and far superior hands on care and knowledge. Its not just an assembly line to US!!
Big Jeff More than 1 year ago
Thomas, I was going to include a built in advanced consideration to you and others. I actually thought of you as iwrote. There is no doubt that hands on care is irreplacable. I was just responding to pauls remarks calling pletcher a buther. It really doesn't seem possible that if the things he does in his barn are the direct cause of injuries and ilness so many people with so much at stake wouldn't be giving him these horses. I am very much a fan of the true horsemen in this sport. ( Neil Drysdale, Ricard Mandella,Bruce Headley, Bill Mott, are a few that I really respect ). One particular one seems to come to mind when I think of hands on. I can't recall his name but he trained Delaware Township.
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
Jeff, It's nice of you to stick up for Pletcher but he has done all he could to earn a name like that. If you are a West Coaster, I don't know if you even see his name on a day to day basis as you would back East. Gemologist was his last of 2012 after starting the year off with two barns full at the track and all of Winstar getting more 'ready' at their farms. He said he has 145 head for this year. It is sad to watch one after another break down as youngsters only to go back to the farm as 'Stallions'. If this is the new way in Racing, they can keep it. It seems that as much as he may have been taught while coming up, the lessons that stuck came from Lucas and he has made that guy look almost like a horseman. Cook is right in that you don't get hands on care in a factory. That's why the glycerine went into green sweat. That otherTrainer - - - Was it Benny Perkins Jr? I hope you have him in the latter group.
Susie Byrd More than 1 year ago
Poor Capo Bastone......unknowing owner.....ruined horse,,,,,,maybe his team should take a course in pulmonary disorders in race horses.....
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
It was just the flapper -no big job- n now the horse can BREATHE!!!!!!
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
Susie, I had Capo crossed up with Smiling Tiger who in fact had surgery for his wind problem. My apologize, I do worry for Capo Bastone.
richard montgomery More than 1 year ago
At least there are no plans for Dubai...yet.
Advance Plumbing More than 1 year ago
And they want to ban lasix, so we can pay for hyperbaric chamber rehabs? Stupidity is a real problem in this business
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
They treat college football players in h'chambers. You pay for that...
tom More than 1 year ago
You also got to remember that the horse did bleed severely in the BC with out lasix and he bobbled and went four wide in the frontrunner (norfolk). I want to see him get a clean race with lasix around 2 turns. I'm not in favor of the trainer change all i know is that he won't win a TC event with Pletcher and the fact there taking him to gulfstream, unless there going to send him to lead he's going to have a hard time getting to the derby there. Just because Street Boss was a sprinter doesn't mean he can't route. Street Boss never raced beyond 7 furlongs and being by street cry he could have went longer, IMHO we never saw the best of Street Boss. His mother Fight To Love won races from 7 to 1 1/16 . I don't know her produce record, but that will tell us a lot. The fact that his broodmare sires are Fit To Fight, Secretariat, Northern Dancer and Fleet Nasrullah doesn't hurt his chances either. Like i said before not saying he will win a TC event but you shouldn't overlook him just because his sire was a sprinter and never raced beyond 7 furlongs. He still has a lot of potential, he only made four starts.
John More than 1 year ago
Lets start a complete BOYCOTT of next years Breeders Cup, we have to teach them a lesson the betting public needs to be considered in these decisions, or there is no racing ! Keep your $$$ in your pockets next November gang, lets show them the lowest handle in racing history !
Advance Plumbing More than 1 year ago
I wont place a wager at Santa Anita, those idiots running that circus, why do they keep getting BC ? Weather isnt everything.
Rodney More than 1 year ago
I don't either. Its got to be Stronach's influence....
Ponies Payme More than 1 year ago
If you can't run a horse without Lasix, you shouldn't run him at all. I say to ban it everywhere and make the breed stronger. If you are losing now at the track, as I suspect most of you are.... Then does it really make a difference??