Pletcher and Motion battle in Birdstone Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainers Todd Pletcher and Graham Motion have combined to win six of the eight editions of the Birdstone Stakes. The two combine to send out three of the seven runners entered in Sunday’s renewal of the 1 3/4-mile dirt stakes at Saratoga.

Pletcher, who won has won four Birdstones, sends out probable favorite Moretti as well as You’re to Blame, while Motion, who won two Birdstones, including last year with King Zachary, runs Standard Deviation.

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Moretti, a 4-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro, won the Flat Out Stakes at 1 3/8 miles in June, then finished a distant second to Tacitus in the Grade 2 Suburban going 1 1/4 miles on July 4. Off of that performance, Pletcher is taking blinkers off Moretti for the Birdstone.

“I felt like last time he was a bit on the bridle in the beginning of the Suburban, and stretching out to a mile and three-quarters I want him to relax,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher noted that Moretti’s performance in the slop winning the Flat Out at Belmont by 5 1/4 lengths gives him some confidence the colt will be able to get the marathon distance of the Birdstone. There is a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms Sunday afternoon.

“The way he finished in the Flat Out, the way he galloped out that day, he gives me the impression he can do it,” Pletcher said. “As long as he can relax early we’ll be okay.”

You’re to Blame won the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at 1 1/2 miles in 2018, but is only 1 for 10 since. Pletcher believes the 6-year-old son of Distorted Humor is “rounding back into form,” though he added the horse would not appreciate any moisture in the track.

Last year, King Zachary, a son of Curlin, won the Birdstone by 8 1/4 lengths, running back one week after a seventh-place finish in a turf allowance race. On Sunday Motion will try to win the race with Standard Deviation, a son of Curlin also switching from the turf to the dirt.

Standard Deviation finished seventh of nine in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth on July 18. As a 2-year-old, when trained by Chad Brown, Standard Deviation won an off-the-turf maiden race here and was third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on dirt at Keeneland.

“I got to thinking with his pedigree and how well my Curlin ran in this race last year, and the fact he handled the dirt as a 2-year-old, I thought it might be a good progression,” Motion said.

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Motion is adding blinkers to Standard Deviation’s equipment.

“We talked about putting blinkers on him before just to get him a little more involved,” Motion said. “He’s quite laid back.”

Joel Rosario rides Standard Deviation from the rail.

American Tattoo, a former Pletcher-trainee, will make his first start for Jack Sisterson. Last December, American Tattoo won the off-the-turf H. Allen Jerkens going 1 1/4 miles on dirt at Gulfstream.

Completing the field are Expert, third in the Flat Out; Rocketry, third in this race in 2018; and Highland Sky, who won the off-the-turf John’s Call here last summer. Highland Sky was also entered in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green Stakes, scheduled for 1 3/8 miles on turf.