Pletcher enjoys successful homecoming

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though it wasn’t a very good weekend for him at the Breeders’ Cup, trainer Todd Pletcher did quite well at Aqueduct, winning two of the three graded stakes.

On Saturday, Pletcher won the Grade 3 Discovery Handicap for 3-year-olds with Protonico. On Sunday, Pletcher was back from Southern California to saddle Blofeld to a five-length victory over El Kabeir in the Grade 2, $250,000 Nashua.

Blofeld was maneuvered off the rail neatly by John Velazquez, stalked the speedy El Kabeir, and overpowered him in midstretch. Blofeld, a son of Quality Road owned by Glencrest Farm and JSM Equine, ran a mile under windy conditions in 1:38.89 and earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

He is now 3 for 3, and his connections will take a few days to decide whether to run him back in the Grade 2, $400,000 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 29 or wait until Gulfstream to bring him back. The Remsen is run at 1 1/8 miles, but Pletcher doesn’t think distance will be a problem.

“I didn’t see anything yesterday that would discourage me from running in the Remsen,” Pletcher said Monday morning at Belmont. “But it depends on where you want your starts to be and when you want them to be. We’ll take some time to sort it out.”

Pletcher said that his Grade 1-winning duo of Carpe Diem and Daredevil, second and last, respectively, in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, were due to get a break at WinStar Farm in Kentucky before rejoining him in south Florida.

Pletcher said Sunday that he could find no tangible excuse, other than a wide trip, for why Daredevil stopped so abruptly at the quarter pole of the Juvenile.

Pletcher said he was pleased with the run Carpe Diem put in to be second to Texas Red after taking a lot of dirt early in the race.

Protonico earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his 2 3/4-length victory over Bay of Plenty in the Discovery. Pletcher said Protonico could be a candidate for the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28.

Protonico won the Smarty Jones Stakes on Labor Day at Parx Racing and came back 19 days later to finish seventh behind Bayern in the Pennsylvania Derby.

“He’s still a 3-year-old, improving horse,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a big year with him next year. Ran him back a little quick in the Pennsylvania Derby; he didn’t thrive on that. This is four weeks, not 19 days.”

Pletcher said Constitution, winner of the Florida Derby who suffered his first defeat when fourth in an allowance race at Belmont on Oct. 12, also is under consideration for the Clark.

◗ Joel Rosario begins a seven-day suspension on Wednesday for a careless riding incident from Aug. 12 at Saratoga. Rosario will be eligible to return Nov. 12.