Happy Saver to skip Classic; Pletcher works five for Breeders' Cup
ELMONT, N.Y. – Happy Saver, the undefeated winner of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, will not be pointed to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 and his connections instead will focus on a 2021 campaign, trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday.
Pletcher said a decision would be made next week whether to give Happy Saver a break or point to the $3 million Pegasus at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23, with a potential prep in the $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday at Gulfstream on Dec. 12.
The decision to bypass the Breeders’ Cup isn’t surprising, as Pletcher said immediately after the Jockey Club Gold Cup that owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer had committed to race the son of Super Saver as a 4-year-old. Also, Happy Saver has accomplished a lot in a short period of time, starting with a maiden win at Belmont on June 20, an allowance win at Saratoga on July 26, and a victory in the Federico Tesio at Laurel on Sept. 7. He won the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 10, beating fellow 3-year-old Mystic Guide by three-quarters of a length.
“I think the Classic is coming up a little too soon,” Pletcher said. “He seemed just a bit knocked out from the Jockey Club, hasn’t quite regained the energy level he had going into it. It’s a horse we plan to race next year, felt for the long-term skipping this race and focusing on 2021 is the right move for him.”
Meanwhile, Pletcher will have as many as five horses for the two-day Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 6-7. On Friday, Pletcher worked Valiance for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Halladay for the Mile. On Thursday, Pletcher worked Likeable for the Juvenile, Mutasaabeq for the Juvenile Turf and Union Gables for either the Juvenile Fillies Turf or Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Valiance, coming off a victory in the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland, went a half-mile in 47.94 seconds in company with the 3-year-old filly Thankful over the training track. Valiance got her last quarter in 23.38 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.17.
“She seems to be in the best form of her career,” Pletcher said. “As she’s gotten older and more mature, stronger, she’s trained better on the dirt and has won her last two starts on the dirt. She has a win over the track, which never hurts, but she’s got to take it to one level higher.”
Halladay won the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga on Aug. 22 but scratched out of the Shadwell Turf Mile on Oct. 3 due to a leg infection. He responded to treatment and on Friday had his second breeze, going five furlongs in 1:00.51 in company with Jerry the Nipper over the Belmont training track. Halladay, a bit eager early, went his first three furlongs in 35.60 seconds and came home in 24.91. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.81 and seven furlongs in 1:27.35.
“He’s a very willing work horse on his own, but the fact we missed the prep race we wanted to get a good, solid in-company work into him today, and we got what we were hoping for,” Pletcher said.
On Thursday, Likeable, an 8 1/4-length maiden winner on Sept. 18, went five furlongs in 1:02 over the main track under jockey John Velazquez, who will ride the son of Frosted in the Juvenile. Mutasaabeq, coming off a 2 1/4-length win in the Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland, was credited with a half-mile move over the training track in 49.75 seconds in the fog.
Union Gables, second in the Grade 3 Matron, worked a half-mile in 50.20 seconds over the training track.