Pluck behaves himself and wins Summer

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Pluck, the 5-2 favorite, overtook 10-1 shot Rockin Heat in the stretch to capture the $250,800 Summer Stakes under Garret Gomez at Woodbine Saturday.

With the win, the Todd Pletcher-trained Pluck received an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 6 at Churchill as part of the BC Win and You’re in program. He collected $150,000 for Team Valor International in the Grade 3 fixture.

Forum set fairly slow fractions of 24.24 and 48 in the one-mile turf event, while Pluck raced near the back of the seven-horse field. Pluck commenced a wide rally exiting the turn, and then caught Rockin Heat nearing the eighth pole en route to a one-length score in a time of 1:37.70. He paid $7.

Stormy Rush had traffic problems early in the stretch before closing for third, while Forum faded to sixth.

“He was really good,” Gomez said of Pluck. “My objective was to try and get him to respond to me without actually getting into him, and he did so very willingly. He was always traveling well. Once I got him outside, he started hitting gears, and was enjoying what he was doing.”

In his previous outing, Pluck was disqualified from second for interference and placed fourth in the Continental Mile Stakes at Monmouth.