J S Bach ships in for Southwest

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – J S Bach will make his stakes debut Monday in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn following a flashy win at Gulfstream Park. He rolled by 8 1/2 lengths in a maiden special weight at the same 1 1/16-mile distance of the Southwest, and late Wednesday morning, he touched down in Arkansas aboard a flight from Florida.

J S Bach, owned by Double Diamond Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, is a promising son of Tale of the Cat. John Velazquez, who has been aboard the horse for both of his career starts, has the mount in the Southwest, part of the series for 3-year-olds at Oaklawn.

“We had a number of preps to choose from, and this one seemed logical from a timing standpoint,” Pletcher said. “We also liked the fact that John Velazquez could ride him on a Monday. And the travel arrangements came together.”

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J S Bach launched his career Dec. 19 and was second in a maiden special weight sprint at Gulfstream. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 92.

“We expected him to run well first time out,” Pletcher said. “We were concerned the five and a half [furlongs] was a little too short for him.”

J S Bach then made the move to two turns for his last start Jan. 17 and increased his advantage past every pole in a romp. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 87.

“It’s a big step from five and a half to a mile and a sixteenth, but we felt like that’s what he wanted to do,” Pletcher said. “We tried that, and it seemed to work out very well.”

The Southwest, which offers its winner 10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, is one of three stakes to be run over the holiday weekend at Oaklawn. The Essex Handicap, which drew the Pletcher trainee Golden Lad, goes Saturday, with the Bayakoa to follow Sunday.