Pletcher mostly satisfied with Neolithic, Keen Ice performances
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher had mixed feelings when looking back on the performances of Neolithic and Keen Ice in Saturday’s $12 million Pegasus World Cup.
Neolithic matched his career high with a 102 Beyer Speed Figure while finishing third, 7 3/4 lengths behind Arrogate. Neolithic pressed the pace from the outset, engaging Arrogate on the second turn before succumbing to the favorite and proving no match at the end for the late-running Shaman Ghost, who was easily second-best. Keen Ice dropped well back in the field before rallying belatedly to finish fourth, nearly three lengths behind Neolithic.
“I thought both horses ran credible races,” Pletcher said Monday. “Neolithic, in particular, gave a very good account of himself. He tried to fight off Arrogate in the middle of the turn, he tried to win the race. If he were ridden to finish second, he might have been second. He got in the position we wanted outside Noble Bird, hoping to beat Arrogate to the punch, but once he [Arrogate] gets in the clear, he just has too much turn of foot. Considering they went the mile in 1:33 and 4, I thought Neolithic ran a big race.
“I was hoping Keen Ice would have laid a little closer. He got farther back than he needed to, particularly at Gulfstream, where it’s important to be closer to the leaders. Once he got untracked, I thought he ran very well.”
Pletcher said he would take a couple of weeks before coming up with a game plan for both horses, although he indicated that everything was in play, including the Dubai World Cup.
Pletcher’s biggest disappointment on the day may have been Stanford’s second-place finish as the odds-on favorite in the $400,000 Poseidon Handicap. Stanford dropped a head decision to Imperative after a stretch-long duel.
“I thought Stanford ran well,” Pletcher said. “The winner is no slouch, he’s earned over $2 million. Johnny [Velazquez] was pretty frustrated after the race. He said there were a lot of people down there on the rail near the finish line, photographers and such, and it cost him some momentum when Stanford started gawking at them, shied away, and lost focus. That’s when he missed the tough head bob.”
