Fair Grounds: Pletcher road warriors worth a look

“Todd Pletcher” is the name you see in the headline, but the names of Pletcher’s pair of 3-year-olds scheduled to start Saturday at Fair Grounds – Intense Holiday in the Risen Star and Got Lucky in the Rachel Alexandra – don’t appear to be written in large, bold letters.

Intense Holiday has won only 1 of 6 starts, and has been sent on the road this week while the highly regarded Pletcher-trained 3-year-old Commissioner stays home for the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.

Got Lucky’s only win came in a maiden race at Gulfstream, where the Pletcher 3-year-old filly Dame Dorothy turned heads with a powerhouse allowance-race win Jan. 31. In the Rachel Alexandra, the name horse is Ria Antonia, placed first via disqualification in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Bettors, though, overlook Pletcher’s shippers to Fair Grounds at their own peril: During the last four Fair Grounds meets, Pletcher has sent 25 runners for graded stakes and come away with 11 victories. Pletcher won the Risen Star in 2010 with Discreetly Mine and in 2012 with El Padrino. He won the Rachel Alexandra last year with Unlimited Budget. This year, a Saturday sweep is in play.

While Pletcher was overseeing his Saratoga string last summer – particularly his legion of talented 2-year-olds there – Intense Holiday resided in New Jersey. He debuted July 27 in a 5 1/2-furlong race at Monmouth Park and finished fifth, but about a month later he stretched out to two turns and easily won a Monmouth maiden race. Intense Holiday since has started in four graded stakes, failing to finish higher than third, but also encountering one challenging trip after another while holding up respectably against the best young horses on the East Coast.

In his most recent start, the Jan. 25 Holy Bull, Intense Holiday faced the near-impossible task of winning from post 11 in a 1 1/16-mile race at Gulfstream. He turned in an admirable performance to get third.

“He’s a work in progress, but he trains like a horse that’s good enough to win one of these races, and I think you could argue that he is getting better every race,” Pletcher said. “The way the Gulfstream track has been playing, pretty kind to speed, we thought Fair Grounds would be a good option. We won’t have to rush him early, and the long stretch should suit him.”

Got Lucky is less battle-hardened than Intense Holiday but might hold more promise. Off a troubled second to the good filly Penwith in her debut Oct. 27 at Belmont, Pletcher tried Got Lucky Nov. 30 in the Grade 2 Demoiselle, where she finished second by a neck to her more seasoned stablemate Stopshoppingmaria, while beating Penwith despite being pinned down at the fence in the homestretch.

“It was a calculated risk running in the Demoiselle,” said Pletcher. “It almost worked out. She got a little intimidated in the stretch, and that might have cost her that extra little bit she needed to win.”

Got Lucky’s pedigree is world class. She’s by A.P. Indy and out of the Deputy Minister mare Malka, a sister to graded stakes winners Girolamo, Daydreaming, and Accelerator. Got Lucky’s fourth dam is Numbered Account, a champion racehorse and top-class broodmare. The Demoiselle was Got Lucky’s only chance around two turns. She is bred to excel in races at 1 1/8 miles and farther – and don’t be surprised to see her name in headlines before long.