Gulfstream: Travelin Man extends Pletcher's hot hand in Swale

Adam Coglianese

Travelin Man, under John Velazquez, gives trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Joyce Robsham their third stakes win in two days at Gulfstream Park by taking the Swale.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Todd Pletcher/Joyce Robsham juggernaut continued its magical weekend run at Gulfstream Park when Travelin Man cruised to a two-length victory in Sunday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Swale Stakes.

 The win came one day after Pletcher and Robsham combined to win both the Grade 2 Gulfstream Oaks and Grade 3 Rampart with R Heat Lightning and Awesome Maria, respectively. The trainer Pletcher won five races on Saturday’s card.

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If Pletcher was supposed to win only one race Sunday, it was the Swale. Travelin Man was a dazzling maiden winner here opening week and then finished second to the freaky fast Flashpoint in the Hutcheson Stakes on Feb. 26.

With Flashpoint’s connections opting to enter the Florida Derby that left Travelin Man as the prohibitive 2-5 favorite.

Breaking from the outside post under John Velazquez, Travelin Man stalked his pacesetting stablemate Razmataz through a quarter-mile in 23.13 seconds and a half-mile in 46.42. Travelin Man took over turning into the stretch and he glided home a relatively easy winner. Travelin Man, a son of 2000 Swale winner Trippi, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.94 and returned $2.80.

“That was the way we were expecting to run,’’ said Velazquez, who won his third stakes in two days. “He’s going to be a better horse when he gets to follow somebody instead of being chased after.’’

Indiano got up for second by a head over Little Drama. Razmataz, also trained by Pletcher, and Megalith completed the order of finish. Black N Beauty scratched in part because his connections did not like the rail post position.

Pletcher said he will likely try to gradually stretch his horse out in distance, starting perhaps with the Grade 3, $200,000 Derby Trial, a one-turn, one-mile race at Churchill Downs on April 30.

 “He’s a very kind horse, he’s a very ratable horse; that could allow him to stretch out,’’ Pletcher said. “Obviously, he’s a gifted sprinter. I don’t know that he’s absolutely just limited to sprinting.”