Life's a Parlay digs in to take Excelsior

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Running back on relatively short rest and stretching out to 1 1/8 miles could not deter Life’s a Parlay from becoming a stakes winner for the first time after the steadily improving 4-year-old registered a one-length victory over Monongahela in Saturday’s $150,000 Excelsior at Aqueduct. The race lost some of its luster when Grade 1 winner Discreet Lover was scratched after spiking a temperature earlier in the day, according to trainer Uriah St. Lewis.

Life’s a Parlay was coming off a hard-fought neck victory in a second-level allowance race going a mile on March 16 at Oaklawn Park. He then shipped back to trainer Todd Pletcher’s South Florida base at Palm Beach Downs prior to coming to New York for his graded stakes debut in the Excelsior.

With John Velazquez aboard, Life’s a Parlay raced within easy striking distance of the early leaders Hit It Once More and Tour de Force. Life’s a Parlay came three wide commencing his bid into the stretch, gained command from Tour de Force near the three-sixteenths pole, edged clear then withstood a belated try from Monongahela. The latter raced near the inside to the stretch, eased out to take a run at the winner through midstretch, but could not sustain the bid while holding off the tiring Tour de Force by a neck for second.

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Life’s a Parlay, a 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo, is owned in partnership by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. Repole also owns third-place finisher Tour de Force. Life’s a Parlay completed the distance over a fast track in 1:51.54 and paid $5.10 for his fourth win in six career starts.

“He’s run well every time,” said Pletcher. “I was a little concerned since we shipped him to Oaklawn, he ran well there, shipped him back to Florida, then came back to New York which was a lot to ask of him all in three weeks. But he’s been training well, he put in a good breeze the other day, so I was confident he came out of that race in good shape, and I think there’s a little more in the tank. He has a tendency to idle a little bit when he gets to the lead, like he did today. I’m just proud of him for doing it.”

Pletcher said he would give Life’s a Parlay a little extra time off after running twice in three weeks.

“I think today confirmed he could get a mile and and eighth, maybe a little further, so he’ll get a little bit of a rest then look to bring him back in another graded stakes.”