Breeders' Cup Juvenile: Pletcher pleased with works by Locked, Fierceness, and Noted
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Locked and Fierceness earned the two highest Beyer Speed Figures for juveniles at the Saratoga meet, a 96 and 95, respectively, for their maiden wins.
Locked went on to win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland for Todd Pletcher, while stablemate Fierceness finished seventh on a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Champagne.
Both were on the work tab Friday morning at Keeneland for their final serious drills for the BC Juvenile and will ship to Santa Anita this weekend.
Locked worked at 7:30 a.m. following the first renovation break on the fast main track. He worked in company with Juvenile Fillies pre-entrant Life Talk. Both were credited with a half-mile in 48 seconds by Keeneland clockers. The time was tied for the sixth fastest of 63 works at the distance on a busy morning.
“Locked just does everything so easily and so effortlessly, and I thought Life Talk did really well – stayed with him the whole way through a strong gallop-out,” said Pletcher, who worked a dozen Breeders’ Cup pre-entrants.
After the second renovation break, Fierceness signaled he is ready to move past the Champagne by working a half-mile in 48.60 in company with Noted, who has his first pre-entry preference in the oversubscribed Juvenile Turf but also has a spot in the Juvenile.
Fierceness “was training really well leading up to his debut, and his debut was super impressive,” Pletcher said. “Not really sure what went wrong in the Champagne, but he’s come back with two really good breezes, and it gives us confidence that we can throw that race out and regroup.”
After the work, Pletcher added he is “probably leaning a little bit toward the dirt at the moment” with Noted, a stakes performer on both surfaces.
Breeders’ Cup Classic candidate Bright Future, coming off a win in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, worked in company with Dreamlike, who is leaning toward the Dirt Mile. With Bright Future outside of Dreamlike in the 7:30 a.m. set, a breezing horse from another barn came alongside them through the stretch. Pletcher wasn’t too bothered as his duo finished in 48.40.
“Actually, it worked out really well,” Pletcher said. “The other rider was patient, and they all ended up working kind of head and head.”
Charge It holds pre-entry spots in both the Classic and Dirt Mile, and after the multiple graded stakes winner worked in 48.60 early in the morning, Pletcher indicated he would be comfortable running in either race.
“Super impressive like he always is,” Pletcher said. “Finished up really strongly. Great gallop-out, moving super. I’ll get with the connections later and we’ll make a decision between the two races, but I thought his breeze was good enough to consider everything.”
Up to the Mark, who is leaning toward stretching back out in distance for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, was credited with a half-mile on the dirt in 48.80.
Grade 1 Alcibiades winner Candied and fellow Juvenile Fillies candidate Scalable worked a half-mile together in 49.80. Juvenile Fillies Turf pre-entrant Life’s an Audible worked in 48.80, while Juvenile Turf candidate Agate Road went in 49.
In other Breeders’ Cup works Friday at Keeneland, Cherie DeVaux sent her trio of candidates out, led by Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty. Among the potential favorites in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, she threw down a half-mile in 47.80, fourth best at the distance.
Dirt Mile hopeful Stage Raider went in 48.40, while Mile candidate More Than Looks went in 49.20.
Yuugiri breezed in 48.80 for the Filly and Mare Sprint for Rodolphe Brisset. For the Distaff, Le Da Vida worked in 49 for Ignacio Correas IV.
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