BC Juvenile: Lightly raced Pletcher duo will make final preps

Todd Pletcher has won two of the past four runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and a month ago it appeared as though the trainer would have one of the favorites for this year’s race after Competitive Edge won the Grade 1 Hopeful impressively at Saratoga.

In subsequent training, however, Competitive Edge suffered an injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the year. Now, entering the final week of major preps for this year’s 31st Breeders’ Cup, Pletcher’s hopes of returning to the Juvenile rest with a pair of lightly raced, though seemingly very talented runners.

On Saturday, Pletcher will send out Carpe Diem in the Grade 1, $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and Daredevil in the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. Both races award fees-paid berths into the $2 million Juvenile to be run at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

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Carpe Diem, who at $1.6 million was the co-sale-topper at the OBS March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training, won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race on closing day at Saratoga. He is by Giant’s Causeway and is a half-brother to J. B.’s Thunder, who won the Breeders’ Futurity in 2010 when the race was run on Polytrack.

Pletcher believes Carpe Diem has the pedigree and talent to be able to stretch out from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.

“Last year, we were able to do it with Havana going from 5 1/2 to the Champagne, which is a little different situation being a one-turn mile,” Pletcher said. “We’re asking him to do something we wouldn’t normally ask one to do, but we’re doing it because we think he’s bred for it and has trained like he’ll do it.”

Carpe Diem drew post 5 in the field of 12 entered for the Futurity, a field that includes unbeaten multiple stakes winner Conquest Tsunami and Grade 3 Iroquois runner-up Bold Conquest.

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Daredevil will attempt to continue Pletcher’s success in the Champagne, a race he has won five of last 10 years. Daredevil, a son of More Than Ready who sold for $260,000 as a yearling, won a six-furlong maiden race by 6 1/4 lengths in the mud on Sept. 13 at Belmont. He was entered to run in the spring, but had to scratch due to a shin issue.

Daredevil showed good speed in his debut, running a half-mile in 44.94 seconds on his way to running six furlongs in 1:09.87.

“I thought we had him ready without overdoing it,” Pletcher said. “There’s room for improvement.”

Daredevil will take on five rivals that includes Saratoga Special winner I Spent It; impressive Saratoga maiden winner El Kabeir; New York-bred stakes winner Upstart; and maiden winners Holy Boss and The Truth Or Else.

At Gulfstream Park, stablemates Twotwentyfive A and Sing Praises head the field entered in the In Reality Stakes for progeny of Florida-based stallions.