Pletcher has intriguing pair for Friday feature
Trainer Todd Pletcher will be well represented in Friday’s $39,000 feature at Gulfstream Park West with the Group 2-placed South American-bred Morning Dancer and the improving 3-year-old African Fighter. They will top a field of eight set to clash at a mile under first-level optional $16,000 claiming conditions.
Morning Dancer will make his U.S. debut and his first start since finishing seventh of 13 against Group 1 company in his native Chile nearly 15 months ago. He has been training forwardly for Pletcher at his principal winter base, the Palm Beach Downs training center in Delray Beach.
African Fighter was given a bit of a break after rallying from last, circling the field into the stretch, to defeat $50,000 starter-allowance competition at Belmont Park on Sept. 18. The win was the second in nine starts for African Fighter, who posted a career-best 82 Beyer Speed Figure for his effort.
“Morning Dancer came to us when we first got down to Palm Beach Downs in September,” said Pletcher. “They obviously thought a lot of him over there and came in with the idea of hopefully developing into a nice horse here. He should appreciate two turns and has trained well since he’s been here, but a lot of South American horses will take a little while to acclimate.”
Tiger of Wales, beaten a neck by Pletcher’s 1-5 favorite J S Bach under similar conditions Oct. 28, will try to snap a three-race losing streak. Tiger of Wales, who remained behind when trainer Mike Maker took the majority of his stable north for the season, posted back-to-back victories at Gulfstream last spring.