Largent's Fort Lauderdale upset the icing on Pletcher's four-win day

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Todd Pletcher has had many big days during his near two-decade reign as training champion of the Gulfstream Park Championship meeting. But few of those exceeded Pletcher’s accomplishments here last Saturday, a four-win afternoon topped by longshot Largent’s surprising victory in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes.

Largent, making his graded stakes debut, rallied off a fast pace set by his more accomplished stablemate Halladay to a decisive two-length decision over another outsider, Doswell, in the nine-furlong Fort Lauderdale. Largent, who has never finished worse than second in nine starts, earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance, matching his previous career best set over this same course winning an entry-level allowance race 11 months earlier.

“He’s always run very well here, and we thought it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot,” said Pletcher, who praised jockey Paco Lopez’s handling of Largent in the Fort Lauderdale. “The key was he was able to relax and settle, and he delivered a big closing kick.”

Pletcher said Largent would likely make his next start in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 23.

“I think he certainly ran well enough to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we’d love to do.”

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Largent’s victory, at odds of nearly 17-1, followed earlier wins on Saturday by a trio of his 2-year-old stablemates, Prime Factor, Con Lima, and Donegal Bay. Prime Factor’s eye-catching 8 3/4-length triumph in his career bow was certainly the most impressive of the lot.

“He trained great. We were hoping for a good performance, but I think this one even exceeded our expectations, so we were delighted with that,” Pletcher said of Prime Factor’s debut. “I’ll talk to the connections, and we’ll come up with a plan. He acts like distance won’t be an issue, so it’s exciting when they win like that going short.”

A son of Quality Road, Prime Factor was purchased for $900,000 as a yearling at the 2019 Keeneland September sale. Owned in partnership by CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm, he received an 85 Beyer for his effort Saturday.

Social Paranoia back from surgery

Pletcher could find himself with a second Pegasus Turf candidate if Social Paranoia runs to expectations in Wednesday’s $50,000 main event carded at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf under third-level allowance conditions. Social Paranoia returns to the races for the first time since winning the Grade 3 Poker on July 4 at Belmont Park, a little more than three months after capturing the Grade 3 Appleton in similar late-running fashion here to launch his 2020 campaign.

“He had a bit of a fracture in the hind leg the day after his Poker win that required a little surgery,” Pletcher said. “Everything’s gone very well since, he’s recuperated as timely as we could have hoped for. Our options were to run him in the Fort Lauderdale or find a softer spot with allowance company trying to get an easier one under his belt coming back. The Pegasus could be a possibility next. We’ll see how he does in this race first and take it from there.”

Social Paranoia is one of two horses Pletcher plans to start in Wednesday’s headliner along with Soldado, who has won 3 of 7 starts, all going six furlongs over the Gulfstream Park main track. He has never raced on grass.

“We’ve thought about trying turf with him for a while, some of the Verrazanos handle it well,” Pletcher said.

The Pletcher pair will take on nine rivals, including multiple graded stakes-placed Olympic Runner and graded stakes-placed Louder Than Bombs. Louder Than Bombs was 10th but beaten less than five lengths by Social Paranoia despite a very wide trip in the Appleton.