Pletcher sends out two comebackers in Friday feature

HALLANDALE, Fla. – Todd Pletcher will send out Outshine and Promo Code, two of the key players in Friday’s $48,000 main event to be decided at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track under allowance and optional-claiming conditions.

Outshine, on the Triple Crown trail for a time last winter, has not started since finishing fifth in the Easy Goer Stakes on June 8 at Belmont Park. In his previous start, Outshine finished a very troubled 10th in the roughly run Wood Memorial. A 3–year-old son of Malibu Moon, Outshine won his only start locally, returning from an even longer layoff to prove a popular winner of a first-level optional claimer here in February.

Promo Code is perfect in two starts but is returning from a lengthy vacation of his own, having been idle since winning an entry-level optional-claiming race at 1 1/16 mile here April 25.

The Pletcher pair could face their most serious challenges from J S Bach and the stakes-placed Benefactor.

Sharp win for Nonna Madeline

Pletcher is hoping both Outshine and Promo Code will come back off the bench as well as Nonna Madeline did here last Friday. The graded stakes-placed filly returned from a 14 1/2-month layoff to easily win a first level allowance dash by 5 3/4 lengths going seven furlongs while posting a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 84. Nonna Madeline had not started since finishing a well-beaten fifth in the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park in October 2018.

“It’s been a while, so you’re always concerned coming off a layoff like that,” Pletcher said. “She had a tendency not to get away really cleanly and she stumbled away from there this time but was able to recover quickly enough to put herself in a good spot. She got away with an easy opening quarter for a filly with her type of speed. It worked out great. It was good to see her back.”

Pletcher said he was undecided what would be next for Nonna Madeline, a daughter of Candy Ride owned in partnership by Teresa Viola Racing Stables and St. Elias Stable.

“A stakes could be next,” Pletcher said. “We still have some allowance conditions left, but the way she ran it’s possible we could stretch her out as well. So we have plenty of options.”