Pletcher has two solid chances in Sunday allowances

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There are three allowances on Sunday’s 12-race program at Gulfstream Park, and not surprisingly, leading trainer Todd Pletcher looks like he has the upper hand in two.

Pletcher will send out Malagacy as the odds-on favorite in the fourth race, a 6 1/2-furlong optional-claiming/allowance dash for 3-year-olds that drew a field of only six. Malagacy skipped over a sloppy track to win his debut by 15 widening lengths going 5 1/2 furlongs here Jan. 4, posting an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. He has worked three times since, posting a bullet half-mile in 48 seconds over a fast track at Palm Beach Downs on Feb. 4.

Wait was nearly as impressive in earning his diploma the following day, cruising to a 5 1/2-length win against maiden statebreds going six furlongs and earning an 81 Beyer. Wait, an Arindel Farm homebred by Distorted Humor, has since been transferred to trainer Stanley Gold’s barn.

Both Malagacy and Wait were ridden to their maiden victories by Javier Castellano, who, not surprisingly, chose to stick with the potent Pletcher stable. Wait will be handled Sunday by the meet’s leading rider, Luis Saez.

A potential speed duel between the two likely favorites could open the door for Tale of Silence, a full brother to Grade 1 winner Tale of Ekati who finished a troubled seventh in a well-graded seven-furlong optional-claiming/allowance dash won by Classic Rock on Jan. 6. Tale of Silence took up early and was never able to gain on the leaders after making a mild middle move leaving the backstretch.

"We'd like to make a router out of him, so we were a little disappointed in his last start," said trainer Barclay Tagg. "But he's young and growing, there should be a lot of pace in this race, and I expect we'll learn a lot more about him after this race."

The speedy, two-time stakes-placed Florida-bred Stormin My Way, Yorkton, and Alex Again complete the field.

Several hours later, Pletcher will send out Sweet Ella as the likely favorite against seven other older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the turf in the 10th race.

Sweet Ella is coming off arguably the best performance of her career, a popular 2 1/2-length starter-allowance win going a mile on the grass here Dec. 22. Sweet Ella is the only three-time winner among the eight starters, with the 83 Beyer she received in her 3-year-old finale tops in this field.

Wessex, a lightly raced daughter of Unbridled’s Song, will try allowance company for the first time while making her first start since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Regret last June at Churchill Downs. Wessex won her only previous start over this course, capturing her career debut here last April.

Other key contenders include Llanita, American Cowgirl, and Somethingelse.

Pletcher does not have a starter in the eighth race, a $48,000 optional-claiming/allowance dash going five furlongs on the turf for older horses. The race has any number of contenders, including multiple winners Starship Thor and Grand Sky, along with the lightly raced Lex Vegas, who will make his grass debut for trainer Brian Lynch.