Forte still pointing to Breeders' Cup Classic despite absence from work tab
?q=100)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Though he has yet to work back since his fourth-place finish in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 26, Forte, last year’s 2-year-old champion, is still being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4, trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday.
Forte finished fourth, beaten eight lengths by Arcangelo in the Travers, the worst finish in his 10-race career, which includes seven victories. Since a foot bruise knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby, Forte has finished second in the Belmont Stakes and won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy before his effort in the Travers.
“In retrospect, the Belmont was a tough race to come back in. He ran hard in the Jim Dandy. I think the four-week turnaround was a little tighter than we needed it to be,” Pletcher said. “We gave him a freshening since then, now we got to start to gear up for the Classic.”
Pletcher said Forte would likely return to the work tab next week.
Bright Future, winner of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 2, returned to the work tab Friday at Saratoga, breezing a half-mile in 51.55 seconds over the Oklahoma training track. He will train up to the BC Classic.
Tapit Trice, the Grade 1 Blue Grass winner who finished third in the Belmont and third in the Travers, is done racing for this year, Pletcher said. The horse is getting a freshening at Whisper Hill Farm in Ocala.
Nest, Up to the Mark breeze
Nest, the 3-year-old filly champion who finished third as the favorite in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign last out, worked five furlongs in 1:01.79 over the Oklahoma training track on Friday. She is being pointed to the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland on Oct. 8.
Nest has only run twice this year, beating Clairiere in the Grade 2 Shuvee on July 23 before finishing a disappointing third in the Personal Ensign.
“I think she’s rounding into her best form now. She’s got a couple of races under her belt and some good works since then,” Pletcher said. “We should be, hopefully, peaking at the right time.”
The two-time Grade 1-winning turf horse Up to the Mark, unraced since his victory in the Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont Park on June 10, worked a half-mile in 50.75 seconds over the Oklahoma training track Friday. It was his fifth work since a setback forced Pletcher to stop on him shortly after the Manhattan.
Pletcher believes Up to the Mark is on schedule for a start in the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 7.
“I think we’ve got a good, steady series of works into him,” Pletcher said. “I think we’re where you would want to be with this race in mind and pointing to the Breeders’ Cup.”
Among the other workers for Pletcher on a busy Friday morning were 2-year-old maiden winners Fierceness and Locked, who went five furlongs together in 1:02.07. Fierceness is pointing to the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 7 at Belmont while Locked will make his next start in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity the same day at Keeneland.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.