Pletcher probably taking a pass on Holy Bull

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher has six of the 24 3-year-olds nominated to the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes. But barring a last-second change of heart, the potent Pletcher stable will not be represented when the field for the Kentucky Derby prep is dispatched here next Saturday.

The undefeated Zulu and the impressive maiden winner Gettysburg top Pletcher’s 3-year-old division. The perennial Gulfsteam Park training champ also nominated Azar, Battery, Destin, and Rally Cry to the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull. Pletcher said the Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 27 would be next for Zulu, while Gettysburg will be pointed for the Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 13 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Zulu won a seven-furlong optional claimer by 7 1/4 lengths here Jan. 15.

“His last race was what we were hoping for and expecting,” Pletcher said. “He acted like stretching out would be helpful, and I thought it was a powerful performance. He galloped out real well and did it authoritatively. From a distance standpoint, being by Bernardini out of a Summer Squall mare, he shouldn’t have a limit pedigree-wise. The real question now is this will be his first step up into a graded stakes against more-seasoned horses. But I like the spacing of it. He’s already got two races over the track and seems to like it, and he needs to step up at some point.”

Pletcher nominated seven horses to next Saturday’s seven-furlong Swale Stakes but said that only Ready Dancer is under consideration for the race. Ready Dancer won once in six starts at 2 and has not run since finishing far back as the 6-5 favorite while making his turf debut here Dec. 13. Pletcher is planning on running Island Saint in next Saturday’s Grade 2 Forward Gal for 3-year-old fillies. Island Saint was a runaway allowance winner in her 2-year-old finale.

The field for the Holy Bull figures to make up in quality what it likely will lack in quantity, with the undefeated Mohaymen and Champagne Stakes winner Greenpointcrusader topping a field that also figures to include Conquest Big E and Fellowship. Other potential starters include the recent allowance winner Cherry Wine and perhaps Dolphus, who was scratched at the gate prior to last Saturday’s Lecomte at Fair Grounds.

Mohaymen, generally considered the leading 3-year-old prospect on the East Coast, had his final workout for the Holy Bull on Thursday at Palm Meadows, going five furlongs in 59.40 seconds under regular exercise rider Miguel Jaime.

“It sounds fast, but it’s not fast for him,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “He’s just a top colt who is doing well. It was a ‘wow’ work; he really did it the right way.”

McLaughlin has had considerable success in the Holy Bull the past two years, winning the race in 2014 with Cairo Prince and finishing second last year with Frosted.

“He’s pretty much on the same schedule as the other two were,” said McLaughlin. “We do look to win this race, but hopefully not win by five and have a hard race. We’d like to win the race the right way and then come back in the Fountain of Youth.”

The Grade 2 Swale might struggle to fill, in part due to the presence of Awesome Banner, who has won his two starts by a combined 14 1/2 lengths. He won the Grade 3 Hutcheson off a seven-month layoff by nearly five lengths Jan. 3.

Cardio Cowboy, an impressive debut winner last fall at Parx, also is being considered for the Swale. Trained by Edward Coletti Jr., Cardio Cowboy was scratched from the allowance race won by Zulu here last week because of the sloppy track.

◗ There will be another post-time change here next weekend, with 12 races scheduled on both Saturday and Sunday. The first race is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. Eastern each day. Post time was originally 12:35 p.m. for the remainder of the meet, except for April 2, Florida Derby Day.