Pletcher sends out Enchantress, Miss Always Ready in search of sixth Tempted win
Only five horses ran in last year’s Tempted Stakes, but the first- and third-place finishers came back as 3-year-olds to win top-class races such as the Alabama and Coaching Club American Oaks, both Grade 1 races, and the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes.
Sunday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Tempted at Aqueduct drew a field of seven 2-year-old fillies, and based on what they’ve done so far, several look to have the ability to win high-end races at some point in the future. The one-mile Tempted will help trainers decide whether to look for more or less distance moving forward.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Tempted five times, including last year with Stopchargingmaria, who won the Coaching Club, Alabama, and Black-Eyed Susan at 3. On Sunday, he sends out the good-looking debut winner Enchantress and the second-out maiden winner Miss Always Ready.
Enchantress, a $950,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in training, won the last race Oct. 4 at Keeneland by 6 3/4 lengths, dueling for the early lead before opening up in the stretch.
“We expected her to run well, and she followed through with what we were hoping for,” Pletcher said. “I think a mile is well within her range. We’ll see how that goes [to] help us decide which way to go in the future.”
Miss Always Ready won a one-mile off-the-turf maiden race over a sloppy Belmont track by 5 3/4 lengths over Consumer Credit, who came back to win her maiden on turf.
Paulassilverlining won the Grade 2 Matron going six furlongs, and Jacaranda overcame an adventurous trip to win her debut by five over a sealed, muddy track.
Key contenders
Enchantress (Last Beyer: 87)
* In a 12-horse field at Keeneland, she broke alertly, dueled outside another horse, and was kept busy by John Velazquez in the stretch as the filly looked like she wanted to pull herself up.
* Money’soncharlotte, fifth to Enchantress in that race, came back to win a maiden race at Belmont by 3 3/4 lengths.
Jacaranda (Last Beyer: 77)
* Broke slowly and checked twice on the far turn before splitting horses and drawing away to win her 6 1/2-furlong debut by five over a muddy track.
“A lot of good things to take out of there,” trainer Mike Hushion said. “Going into the race, I was afraid she wouldn’t break sharp. I was afraid she wouldn’t take dirt. I was afraid of a lot of things, and she overcame it all.”
* Came back with a bullet five furlongs over the Belmont training track Oct. 26.
Paulassilverlining (Last 3 Beyers: 80-78-71)
* Came out of a fourth-place finish in a highly rated maiden race at Saratoga to win her next two starts, including the Grade 2 Matron at 5-1 in a performance that suggested an additional two furlongs won’t be problematic.
* Irad Ortiz Jr. replaces Jose Ortiz, who rides Jacaranda. Trainer Michelle Nevin explained that she wavered on whether to run Paulassilverlining, and Jose Ortiz committed to the other filly.
“It’s coming back a little quick, quicker than I would have liked,” Nevin said. “I wanted to get a good feel for her coming out of her last race, making sure we were going to go forward.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Paulassilverlining. Trainer Michelle Nevin is 27-9-7-4 with a $4.09 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route on dirt. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Sunday Sonnet. Trainer Kelly Breen is 18-0-3-1 over the past five years with 2-year-olds in dirt route graded stakes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan