Gouverneur Morris looks sharp in comeback allowance win

Gouverneur Morris came within a whisper of a track record in winning his 3-year-old debut Friday in an allowance race at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.

With John Velazquez riding for trainer Todd Pletcher, Gouverneur Morris collared the race-long front-runner, Untitled, before edging away to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths, finishing a mile and 40 yards over a fast surface in 1:38.88, just .02 seconds off the mark set last year. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 88.

Gouverneur Morris returned $3 as the heavy favorite in a field of five 3-year-olds. The Constitution colt is ranked among the top contenders for the 146th Kentucky Derby on May 2.

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Untitled finished a clear second, while Letmeno and Sounion were a nose apart in third and fourth, another 3 3/4 lengths behind Untitled. Dudley Square, a second Pletcher starter, threw jockey Daniel Centeno at the break and did not interfere with the others thereafter.

Overall, the first-level allowance appeared to serve as a very useful comeback for Gouverneur Morris, a gray colt owned by Team Valor International and WinStar Farm. He was making his first start since finishing second at Keeneland last October in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity.

“The complexion of the race changed when [Dudley Square] stumbled,” Team Valor president Barry Irwin said by phone afterward. “Todd said he was hoping his other horse would set the pace, so obviously things set up differently than he’d planned.”

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Through fractions of 23.40 seconds, 47.50, and 1:11.33, Gouverneur Morris maneuvered into a prime stalking spot before finally reeling in a stubborn Untitled in the final furlong.

“Without talking to Todd, I’m thinking we might consider the Florida Derby or the Wood Memorial,” said Irwin. “His last three works got progressively better, and I really think this race will move him forward in a big way, more than you might typically expect. His next race, he’ll be ready to roll.”

The March 28 Florida Derby and April 4 Wood both are 170-point qualifying events toward the Kentucky Derby.

Pletcher has used overnight races at Tampa in recent years for some of his Derby hopefuls, including Always Dreaming, Vino Rosso, and Magnum Moon. Gouverneur Morris will resume training in the coming days at Pletcher’s winter base at Palm Beach Downs in Delray Beach, Fla.

Centeno picked himself up shortly after being unseated and walked off the track. He took off his mount in the next race, his only remaining ride on the card.