Brown giving Pletcher all he can handle

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Typically by this time of the meet in recent years, it is a fait accompli who will be leading trainer at Saratoga. Usually, the only question left to be answered is how many wins Todd Pletcher will have come the end of the meet on Labor Day.

It’s not that simple this year. Heading into the final week of this year’s Saratoga meet, Pletcher held just a 22-18 lead over Chad Brown. Since winning the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 16 with Stopchargingmaria, Pletcher has gone winless with 25 starters in 21 races. Meanwhile, during that same time period, Brown has won seven races from 22 starters over 21 races.

“We’ve had a terrible run since the Alabama,” said Pletcher, who has seven second-place finishes in the last 21 races and 23 seconds for the meet. “There’s no other way to sugarcoat it: we’ve had a bad streak. Any time you have more seconds than firsts it’s not a good thing. Just keep trying is all you can do.”

Brown, who began the meet 2 for 23, has finished second to Pletcher here each of the last three years. Brown has started 29 fewer horses at the meet than Pletcher, and said he doesn’t plan to do anything differently to try and win the trainer title.

“We’re going to run the horses that we always planned on running,” Brown said. “We’ll keep the same approach and try to manage the horses for the clients the best way possible. We don’t plan on changing anything. If it works out that would be great.”

From Wednesday through Friday, Pletcher was scheduled to run horses in only five races, while Brown has runners in eight. The two square off in Thursday’s Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes, where Pletcher will run Designed for War and Brown will saddle Startup Nation.

Both figure to play prominent roles over the final three days of the meet. Brown is expected to send out the uncouple entry of Zivo and Last Gunfighter in Saturday’s Grade 1 Woodward Stakes. Pletcher, who scrapped plans to run Palace Malice in that race, may run Micromanage, although that horse will be cross entered in Monday’s Greenwood Cup at Parx.

Zivo, a New York-bred son of True Direction, brings a six-race winning streak into the Woodward, including a three-length score over Moreno in the Grade 2 Suburban. The Eric Guillot-trained Moreno came back to win the Grade 1 Whitney here on Aug. 2.

“The pace of the race is still a concern to me,” Brown said. “Moreno can carry his speed and has an affinity for the track.”

Last Gunfighter, fifth in the Whitney, will be reunited with Joe Bravo, who has been aboard for the horse’s last two victories, which came in the Hawthorne Gold Cup and Philip Iselin Stakes.

Brown’s other stakes runner this weekend will be Watsdachances in Sunday’s Grade 3 Glens Falls, where she will take on the Pletcher-trained Viva Rafaela.

Pletcher’s stakes runners over the final three days of the meet will include Capo Bastone in the Grade 1 Forego and Sweet Whiskey in the Grade 2 Prioress on Saturday; Angela Renee and Curalina in the Grade 1 Spinaway and Storm in the Grade 3 Saranac on Sunday; and Competitive Edge and possibly Blame Jim in the Grade 1 Hopeful.

On Tuesday, Competitive Edge worked a half-mile in 47.31 seconds in company with Storm.

“Another very impressive work, sort of what we’ve become accustomed – effortlessly, easily, and impressively,” Pletcher said.

Blame Jim also worked a half-mile in 48.40 seconds by himself. Pletcher said the Hopeful is one option he will discuss with Blame Jim’s owner, Mike Repole.

Pletcher also worked My Miss Sophia, the Kentucky Oaks runner-up, who went a half-mile in 47.40 seconds in company with Protonico. Pletcher said My Miss Sophia will run in Monday’s Majestic Light Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Fashion Alert was being pointed to the Spinaway, but she will skip that race and point to the Alcibiades at Keeneland.