Awesome Gent steps to front of Pletcher sprint class

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While trainer Todd Pletcher sorts out who his top 3-year-old route horse could be, it’s starting to become clear who the leader is of his 3-year-old sprint division.

Awesome Gent stepped out of New York-bred company to dominate Sunday’s $125,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes by four lengths at Aqueduct. He ran six furlongs in 1:10.60 and earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

It was his third straight victory, all since being gelded following an eighth-place finish in his debut.

Pletcher said that Awesome Gent got “really cranked up” before his first start last September at Saratoga, acting poorly in the paddock and around the gate. Pletcher said subsequent gate work with Awesome Gent did not straighten him out, so the decision was made to castrate him.

“That’s turned him around mentally,” said Pletcher, who trains Awesome Gent for Burning Sands Stable. “We still ship over to paddock-school him, and we stand him in the gate, but it’s made him a much better horse mentally.”

Awesome Gent is by Awesome Again, which suggests that he might want to go farther than six furlongs. Pletcher noted that the bottom side of his pedigree is sprint-oriented. Pletcher said that while it is likely that Awesome Gent would make his next start in the Grade 3, $300,000 Bay Shore Stakes going seven furlongs here April 9, he hasn’t ruled out trying him at 1 1/8 miles in the Wood Memorial.

Two other 3-year-olds whom Pletcher has based in the Northeast recorded dominant allowance wins last week. Cards of Stone, a gelding by Bustin Stones, beat New York-breds by 13 lengths, running a mile in 1:39.99 and earning a 92 Beyer. Donegal Moon, fifth in the Withers Stakes on Jan. 31, won a one-mile allowance race at Parx by 13 1/2 lengths, running the distance in 1:37.39 and earning a 96 Beyer.

Pletcher said he would talk with the connections of Cards of Stone to see “how ambitious everybody wants to get.” Pletcher said that if Donegal Moon runs in a graded stakes next, it would be at Keeneland and not Aqueduct. Donegal Moon has not run well at Aqueduct and won a maiden race at Keeneland last fall.

Meanwhile, Pletcher said that Mei Ling, the winner of Saturday’s $150,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct, will be pointed to the Grade 3, $200,000 Top Flight Invitational going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on April 3.

The biggest disappointment of the weekend for Pletcher was Rally Cry’s sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Gotham. Pletcher said that pending the results of blood work, there has been no plausible excuse for the performance.