Fort Lauderdale Stakes will test Halladay's aptitude for distance

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Halladay, who finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, will attempt to stretch out to 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Lauderdale Stakes on Dec. 12 at Gulfstream Park, trainer Todd Pletcher said Wednesday.

How Halladay handles that distance will determine whether the Grade 1-winning miler will forge on to the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at 1 3/16 miles on Jan. 23.

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Halladay is 3 for 3 at Gulfstream, with two of those wins coming at 1 1/16 miles, the longest distance at which he’s been successful.

“We’ve got to see if he can handle stretching out a little bit,” Pletcher said. “The Fort Lauderdale, at a mile and an eighth, will help answer that question.”

Halladay set the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, but ended up sixth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by longshot winner Order of Australia. Halladay hadn’t run since winning the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Aug. 22 at Saratoga. He missed the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on Oct. 3 due to a leg infection.

“The turf course, maybe he didn’t relish it, but we won’t use that as an excuse,” Pletcher said. “Not having the prep hurt us more than anything.”

Halladay has already shipped to Palm Beach Downs in South Florida.

Mutasaabeq, who finished 10th as the 5-1 second choice in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, also is at Palm Beach Downs. Pletcher didn’t have much of an excuse for Mutasaabeq, who will get a couple of easy weeks of training before a plan is mapped out for him.

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In New York, Pletcher had a good weekend with his 2-year-old crop. On Friday, Malathaat won the Tempted Stakes by 7 3/4 lengths, and now the daughter of Curlin will attempt 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 2, $150,000 Demoiselle Stakes on Dec. 5.

On Saturday, Known Agenda won a hard-fought head decision over Greatest Honour in a 1 1/8-mile race where it was 21 lengths back to the third-place finisher. Known Agenda, a son of Curlin, will be pointed to the Grade 2, $150,000 Remsen Stakes at the same distance on Dec. 5.

“We went into that race hoping if he performed well it would set him up for the Remsen, and it did, so that would be the objective with him,” Pletcher said.

On Sunday, Never Surprised won a six-furlong turf race by 3 1/2 lengths in his career debut. A 2-year-old son of Constitution, Never Surprised will point to the Central Park Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on turf.