Gulfstream: General a Rod finds his form

General a Rod looked like the General a Rod of old when he splashed to an easy 7 1/2-length victory over Midnight Cello Thursday at 1 1/16 miles under optional-claiming conditions at Gulfstream Park.

General a Rod was among the leading 3-year-old prospects on the grounds here two winters ago, winning the Gulfstream Park Derby before finishing second in the Fountain of Youth and third in the Florida Derby. He participated in all three legs of the Triple Crown that season, with his best effort a fourth-place finish in the Preakness.

But injuries slowed his career. Thursday marked just General a Rod’s sixth start since the Belmont and was his first victory since he cruised to a triumph in the Challenger Stakes last March at Tampa Bay. On Thursday, over a sloppy track, General a Rod missed the track record for 1 1/16 miles by just 0.26 seconds while matching his career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 104.

“It seems like he’s getting back to his old form,” said John Velazquez, who has been aboard General a Rod in his last five starts.

Don Lucarelli, the co-managing partner for Starlight Stable along with Jack Wolf, said the original plan was to put General a Rod back on the grass after his sixth-place finish behind stablemate Itsaknockout here last month. But General a Rod had been training so well on dirt that trainer Todd Pletcher decided to keep him on that surface, Lucarelli said.

General a Rod tried turf for the only time last spring, finishing 11th in the Grade 1 Manhattan.

Wolf and Lucarelli said they’d leave the decision up to Pletcher where to run General a Rod next, but hoped they might receive an invitation to the Dubai World Cup – to at least have that option.