Pletcher Breeders' Cup workers Life Is Good, Malathaat gallop out strongly
ELMONT, N.Y. – Life Is Good, among the top 3-year-olds in training, and Malathaat, the clear leader of the 3-year-old filly division, led a quintet of Todd Pletcher-trained Breeders’ Cup hopefuls who put in workouts Friday morning over Belmont Park’s training track.
Life Is Good, the likely favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, went a half-mile by himself in 49.08 seconds, but his gallop-out of 1:01.72, 1:13.50 and 1:26.22 is what truly impressed.
“Maybe in one of his works at Saratoga we’ve asked him to gallop out a little bit, but we’ve never had to really ask him for anything,” Pletcher said. “He does that full of run. He’s a horse that is competitive and he wants to train and he can get a little strong in his gallops sometimes, but at the same time he’s an intelligent horse. Just got to try to keep him from overachieving all the time.”
The way he trains certainly gives Pletcher the impression Life Is Good could stretch out beyond a mile. But with Life Is Good missing time from March until August due to injury, Pletcher said the prudent path is to gradually stretch him out in distance. Beyond the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Pletcher has the Pegasus World Cup, a 1 1/8-mile race at Gulfstream Park at the end of January, on his schedule.
Pletcher will also run Mind Control in the Dirt Mile. Mind Control, winner of the Parx Dirt Mile on Sept. 25, worked five furlongs in 1:01.55 early Friday morning.
“He always trains really well, but today I thought was a particularly good breeze from him,” Pletcher said. “He finished up strong, galloped out with good energy.”
Malathaat, the Kentucky Oaks winner who is unraced since she won the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 21, worked five furlongs in 1:00.83 in company with the 4-year-old Chilean-bred colt First Constitution. When Pletcher communicated via radio to exercise rider Amelia Green to let Malathaat “finish a little bit,” she ran away from First Constitution by a length at the wire and extended that margin while galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.11, seven furlongs in 1:26.90 and a mile in 1:40.97.
This was Malathaat’s fifth work since the Alabama.
“When she leaves her work mate, sometimes she can idle a little bit,” Pletcher said. “Today she stayed focused through her gallop-out and looked like she was still full of energy at the end of her gallop-out.”
Commandperformance, the Champagne runner-up who is pointing to the $2 million Juvenile, worked a half-mile in 50.23 seconds in company with My Prankster. Commandperformance galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.25 and six furlongs in 1:15.53.
Annapolis, the Grade 2 Pilgrim winner pointing to the $1 million Juvenile Turf, worked a half-mile in 49.06 seconds in company with Nest, a maiden-winning filly who is pointing to the Tempted.
Meanwhile, Pletcher said a decision regarding Grade 2 Vosburgh winner Following Sea’s participation in the $2 million Sprint likely won’t be made until next week.
Pletcher said that Royal Spirit, runner-up in the Nownownow Stakes at Monmouth Park, would be pre-entered for the Juvenile Turf.
Pletcher said he is “leaning more and more” to running Dr Post in the Grade 1 Clark at Churchill Downs on Nov. 26 and not the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Clark could also be the next race for Happy Saver, who has yet to have his quarter crack completely patched and who would have to work by early next week in order to have a chance to make the Classic, Pletcher said.