Pletcher's three all draw well

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Of the record 17 runners that trainer Todd Pletcher entered on Wednesday in seven of the eight Breeders' Cup races that will be run Saturday at Churchill Downs, three will go in the $2 million Juvenile, and all three drew posts that should suit their running styles.

Scat Daddy, the Champagne Stakes winner who will be trying two turns for the first time, drew post 3 in the 1o1/16-mile race, from which he should get a ground-saving trip. King of the Roxy, who sped to victory in the Belmont Futurity, should get a clear run from post 4. Circular Quay, second last time out in the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity, is drawn farther out, in post 9, but he has a one-run style that should not be affected by his post.

"Scat Daddy, that's fine for him," Pletcher said Wednesday afternoon. "He's got experience from four races, and with dirt getting kicked in his face, and being in and around other horses. Hopefully he can establish a good position and get a good trip. King of the Roxy, I wouldn't have minded seeing him a little farther out. He's inexperienced, still feeling his way around. Circular Quay, he'll just fall back and hopefully save some ground around the first turn."

Circular Quay is the favorite on the lines set by both Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs and Mike Watchmaker, the national handicapper for Daily Racing Form . Battaglia has Circular Quay at 5-2. Watchmaker made him a more tepid choice at 4-1.

A maximum field of 14 was entered in the Juvenile. There were 15 pre-entries, but since only 14 can run, Zanjero was excluded. He was entered in an allowance race at Churchill Downs on Thursday.

The Juvenile has the winners of every major 2-year-old race of the fall. In addition to stakes winners King of the Roxy and Scat Daddy, the race lured Breeders' Futurity winner Great Hunter, and Norfolk Stakes winner Stormello.

A trio of longshots - U D Ghetto, Malt Magic, and Skip Code - drew the outside three posts.

Earlier Wednesday, Teuflesberg breezed three furlongs in 38.80 seconds on a sloppy Churchill Downs main track. He was seventh in the Breeders' Futurity, then bounced back to beat maidens at Keeneland. He is the most experienced horse in the race with eight starts, two more than Great Hunter.

C P West, second to King of the Roxy in Belmont's Futurity, is the least experienced horse in the Juvenile, with two starts.

Pletcher's trio was part of a star-studded shipment of horses that was flown here from New York on Wednesday. Malt Magic arrived from California on Tuesday, two days after fellow Californians Principle Secret and Stormello.

Great Hunter is trained by Doug O'Neill, who won this race last year with Stevie Wonderboy.

D. Wayne Lukas, the trainer of Pegasus Wind, will be going for his record sixth win in the Juvenile, but his first in the race since 1996. Pegasus Wind was third in the Champagne in his last start.