Full Salute has best credentials in Futurity
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. was driving back to south Florida on Thursday morning, having all but shipped out of his summer and early-fall home of Monmouth Park. The one horse he left behind, Full Salute, would soon be shipping north to Belmont Park, where on Saturday he’ll try to add a win in the Grade 2, $200,000 Futurity to his résumé.
Full Salute, coming off a one-length victory in the $150,000 Hall of Fame Stakes at Parx, is the most accomplished of six runners entered in the Futurity, a six-furlong race that goes as race 3 on Saturday’s 10-race program, which also includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia Stakes for females on the turf.
Full Salute, a son of Speightstown, has two wins and three seconds from five starts. His Hall of Fame win came against three opponents and was workmanlike. Prior to that, he finished second in the Sapling at Monmouth to Sunny Ridge, who came back to finish second in the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont. Full Salute also finished second in the Tyro Stakes on turf at Monmouth after winning a maiden race on dirt there in his second start.
Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Plesa said: “He dominated the race. There were only four horses in the race, so you wonder what was behind him, but he did it in a way you would have liked to have seen one do it. Saturday will be a better test for him.”
Ready Dancer, who won a maiden race in this third start, would be the one to beat if he runs. Trainer Todd Pletcher was noncommittal earlier in the week on Ready Dancer’s status because the horse would be racing two weeks after finishing last in the slop in the Champagne.
Annual Report won a maiden race at Parx by 5 1/4 lengths. King Kranz is a maiden but finished three-quarters of a length behind the highly regarded Mohaymen in a fast six-furlong maiden race at Belmont. Legend Keeper and Manhattan Dan complete the field.
KEY CONTENDERS
Full Salute (Last 3 Beyers: 81-72-71)
◗ His Hall of Fame victory came Sept. 26, and Plesa said the timing of this race “came up well.”
“He came out of his last race great, it’s his distance – all the pieces of the puzzle fit into place,” Plesa said.
◗ Paco Lopez rides from post 6.
Ready Dancer (Last 3 Beyers: 51-85-66)
◗ Pletcher normally doesn’t run horses back in two weeks, but he views the Champagne as a non-effort, saying Ready Dancer “hated” the sloppy track.
◗ His best race came two back on a dry track at Saratoga when he wore blinkers for the first time.
Annual Report (Beyer: 58)
◗ Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he sent this one to Parx because he had Mohaymen to run in a maiden race at Belmont the same day. He ran away from seven rivals to win by 5 1/2 lengths, though the Beyer Speed Figure came back a modest 58.