Pillar Mountain faces different pace scenario in John's Call

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Pillar Mountain closed from well back behind a legitimate early pace in winning a pair of allowance races at marathon distances in his last two starts. Wednesday, when Pillar Mountain steps into stakes company for the first time in the $100,000 John’s Call, he may have to adjust his running style a bit as there does not appear to be much early speed.

The John’s Call, run at 1 5/8 miles, drew only six horses for the turf. However, Nakamura will scratch after winning a third-level allowance race last Saturday at Saratoga, according to trainer Graham Motion.

Of the five turf runners remaining in the field – including recent steeplechase stakes winner Redicean – only Proquestor shows any early speed. Proquestor is 1 for 17, that win coming at Presque Isle Downs in May.

Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Pillar Mountain, doesn’t seem too concerned about the dearth of speed in the John’s Call.

“I don’t see a lot of pace contenders in there, so he might be more prominent,” Pletcher said. “I think he’ll be fine as long as he gets into a comfortable rhythm.”

Pillar Mountain, a 4-year-old Irish-bred son of Kodiac, won an allowance race by a nose June 6 at Belmont. He’s No Lemon, the runner-up from that race, and Crackspeed, who finished fourth in that five-horse field, both came back to win first-level allowance races with 90-plus Beyer Speed Figures.

Pillar Mountain also came back to win, taking a second-level allowance by 2 1/2 lengths here July 19.

“He’s one we always felt like wanted three turns or those types of distances,” Pletcher said. “He seems to be in good form. This is sort of a logical progression for him.”

Joel Rosario rides Pillar Mountain.

Red Knight, who earlier this year won Gulfstream Park’s H. Allen Jerkens at two miles on turf, will try to bounce back from a last-place finish in the Grade 2 Bowling Green.

“It looked like he was dull to me, he made no run,” trainer Bill Mott said when discussing Red Knight’s most recent start. “He might not be used to running against those kind of horses either.”

Red Knight has shown the ability to lay close in some of his long-distance races, so the apparent lack of pace doesn’t concern Mott.

“I don’t think that part matters too much,” Mott said.

The wild card in the field is Redicean, a 5-year-old gelding who made his first start in the United States in a steeplechase event, winning the Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes here July 24. Trainer Leslie Young opted to forgo Thursday’s New York Turf Writers’ Cup and try Redicean on the flat in this spot.

“He wasn’t a bad flat horse in England, he was a decent-rated horse, and he won going a mile and a half,” Young said. “At home, he does show a lot of speed. We wanted to take a shot at the distance. He’s working really well.”

Highland Sky finished ahead of Red Knight in both the Belmont Gold Cup and Bowling Green Handicap but is only 1 for his last 16 for trainer Barclay Tagg.