Pletcher pair goes hunting at Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Usually the hunted in 3-year-old maiden special weight races held here this time of the season, Todd Pletcher became the hunter instead on Saturday, sending out a pair of very promising youngsters, River Thames and Grande, to capture their career debuts while defeating a couple of odds-on favorites in the process.

River Thames was the first and arguably more impressive of the Hall of Fame trainer’s duo, readily overtaking and drawing away from the Brad Cox-conditioned first-time starter Vanderbilt by 4 3/4 lengths going six furlongs in Saturday’s fourth race. River Thames, a New York-bred son of Maclean’s Music, earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure for his effort after completing the distance in 1:10.27 seconds over the fast track.

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“We’ve always had high expectations for him,” said Pletcher. “We had a little bit of a setback during the summer, which delayed his debut, but he’s been training like he’d come out with a good effort. He did everything right, put himself in a good position, and finished up well.”

Launching his career going a mile about 90 minutes after River Thames, Grande parlayed a similar pace-stalking trip into a 2 1/2-length triumph at odds of 9-1 over the vastly more experienced, 1-2 favorite Camp Hale. A son of Curlin, Grande received a more modest 83 Beyer for his debut win and, like River Thames, was guided to victory by jockey John Velazquez.

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