Pletcher seeks fourth Louisiana Derby win with Battery

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Louisiana Derby three times, will be shipping Battery from Palm Beach Downs for this year’s race next Saturday at Fair Grounds.

A son of Bernardini and the Saint Ballado mare Flawless Diamond, Battery has won 2 of 4 starts, all around two turns. He’s coming off a first-level optional $75,000 claiming victory at 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 10 at Gulfstream Park in his second start as a 3-year-old.

“He’s definitely a two-turn horse,” Pletcher said. “He’s already won at a mile and an eighth. We didn’t want to back up.”

Pletcher, who has had 13 Louisiana Derby starters, won with Revolutionary in 2013, Mission Impazible in 2010, and Circular Quay in 2007. Pletcher’s runners also finished second four times and third once in the Louisiana Derby.