Pletcher makes decisions for cross-entered 3-year-olds

NEW ORLEANS – Wednesday was shipping day for the Todd Pletcher-trained 3-year-olds based in Florida and entered in stakes races Saturday at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park, and thus it was time to make a final call on who was running where.

Agate Road is headed to New Orleans for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby, Pletcher confirmed in a text message, while Triple Espresso is bound for Turfway Park and the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks. The two colts were cross-entered last weekend in both races.

Pletcher also has Noted for the Jeff Ruby and Antiquarian for the Louisiana Derby.

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2024: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

Triple Espresso is the second also-eligible in the Ruby but is certain to move up one slot with Agate Road coming out of the race; he needs a second defection to make the field.

Agate Road was rained off grass in his career debut last summer and made his next four starts in turf races before switching to dirt for the Feb. 10 Sam Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Agate Road rallied from 11th to finish second behind No More Time in the 1 1/16-mile Sam Davis, and while Agate Road might eventually wind up back on turf, Pletcher said connections wanted to see how Agate Road performed racing on dirt over a longer distance, 1 3/16 miles, in the Louisiana Derby.

Agate Road is a two-time stakes winner with six starts behind him, but Antiquarian, with just two races and only a maiden win on his resume, might prove Pletcher’s best hope at Fair Grounds.

Antiquarian debuted Jan. 13 at Gulfstream and ran well in a one-turn mile finishing second behind Conquest Warrior, who returned to win a first-level allowance race and will be among the favorites in the Florida Derby. Pletcher and Antiquarian’s owner, Centennial Farms, were already casting an eye toward the Louisiana Derby when they sent the colt to New Orleans for a two-turn maiden race Feb. 17. Antiquarian, vying for the lead on a sloppy surface, pulled out a one-length victory over the well-regarded Godolphin colt Cornishman, failing to fully focus, as was the case in his debut, after making the front.

“He still idles a bit on the lead. He’s still putting it all together. That’s not uncommon for talented colts,” Pletcher said.

Antiquarian also runs through the homestretch with his head cocked to the right. Pletcher has toyed with the idea of trying the colt in blinkers. “He’s coming off a win. It’s not impossible blinkers could be in his future. Perhaps experience will get him a little more focused.”

Antiquarian, by Preservationist, trains encouragingly and is a big boy – though not as big around the barrel as earlier this winter.

“He’s a robust colt. I do think he looks fitter now than when he made his debut. He likes to eat, but that’s a good thing,” Pletcher said.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.