Pletcher has two or three for Mother Goose

ELMONT, N.Y. – A field of five or six is in the making for the $250,000 Mother Goose on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Todd Pletcher said he could run two or three fillies in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. The Mother Goose, which was downgraded from a Grade 1 to a Grade 2 this year, will have a purse of $250,000, a $50,000 cut from 2016.

Pletcher plans to start Lights of Medina and Moana, who finished second and fifth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan last out. He also is considering My Miss Tapit for the race.

The 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan was run over a saturated Pimlico surface after a thunderstorm rolled through the area an hour before post time. The track condition likely affected the performance of a number of runners in the 11-horse field.

Lights of Medina closed well at 5-1 to finish second by a head to Actress, who was winning her first race. Moana, who was coming off a Keeneland maiden victory, raced within early striking position at 7-2 but lacked a closing bid and finished fifth.

My Miss Tapit is undefeated in two starts, both at Gulfstream Park. She defeated Actress in the restricted Game Face Stakes on April 22.

The other expected starters are Vexatious, Unchained Melody, and Spanish Harlem.

Vexatious in her last three starts has finished fourth in the Kentucky Oaks, third in the Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park, and third in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks. A daughter of Giant’s Causeway, she is based at Santa Anita with Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale.

Unchained Melody is coming off a first-level optional-claiming win for Brian Lynch.

Spanish Harlem won a three-horse, off-the-turf, first-level allowance over a sloppy track at Belmont Park on May 5 by 29 lengths. Trained by Danny Gargan, she most recently finished sixth over turf in the $200,000 Penn Oaks at Penn National.

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Neolithic nears first breeze

Since last fall, Neolithic has developed into one of the better older horses in training for Todd Pletcher.

After taking four tries to win a first-level allowance, he has finished third in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park to Arrogate and Shaman Ghost and third in the $10 million Dubai World Cup to Arrogate and Gun Runner.

Neolithic was sent to Kentucky for a breather after his effort in Dubai but became ill and missed more time than anticipated.

“He’s back galloping now up at Saratoga,” Pletcher said. “He should breeze in the next week or two.”

Neolithic, a 4-year-old son of Harlan’s Holiday owned by Qatar Racing and Starlight Racing, is 2 for 9 in his career. He has earnings of $2.1 million, all but $100,000 of which was earned in his last two starts.