Prince Lucky looks formidable in Westchester Stakes

Trainer Todd Pletcher already won the world’s richest one-mile dirt race of 2019 when Coal Front captured the $1.5 million Godolphin Mile on March 30 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Pletcher couldn’t be there for that race, owing to a multitude of responsibilities in South Florida, and he will not be in attendance Saturday at Belmont Park when another fast dirt miler, Prince Lucky, races in the Grade 3, $200,000 Westchester Stakes.

Pletcher on Saturday has a minor bit of business in Kentucky, where he starts Cutting Humor and Spinoff, two longshots, in the Kentucky Derby. Prince Lucky figures to be an odds-on favorite in the one-turn-mile Westchester after proving a revelation over the winter at Gulfstream Park. If he holds his form Saturday and all goes well afterward, Prince Lucky could emerge as a contender for another seven-figure, one-mile dirt race, the $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap on June 8.

Prince Lucky, a 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred Corinthian gelding bred and owned by Daniel McConnell, appears to be well drawn outside his seven rivals in the Westchester. Prince Lucky flashed 2-year-old ability when trained by Larry Jones in 2017 and prematurely ended his 3-year-old season by winning the Easy Goer Stakes at Belmont last June while making his third start for Pletcher.

Prince Lucky didn’t race again for more than eight months but returned to action a horse transformed in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope on Feb. 23 at Gulfstream. Always travelling powerfully in that race under John Velazquez, Prince Lucky drew off to a six-length win over his talented stablemate Copper Town, with Quip, the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap winner last month, finishing third. Bet down to 1-5 odds March 30 in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile, Prince Lucky galloped to a 4 3/4-length victory, and his seven foes Saturday need regression from the favorite to have much chance.

A bettor inclined to wonder if Prince Lucky’s form will travel north from Florida can pick and choose from several mildly interesting upset candidates.

Sunny Ridge was a flat fourth when last seen March 9 in the Stymie Stakes, but were he to muster a performance like his third-place finish last fall in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, he might have a shot at Prince Lucky. Trained by Jason Servis, Sunny Ridge has run well at Belmont, where he is 1-3-0 after four races.

Carlino finished fourth in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup to cap his 2018 campaign but appears mainly to be prepping for longer races in this, his 5-year-old debut. Bandua, a fairly encouraging fourth while making his dirt debut in the New Orleans Handicap last out, probably is better meant than Carlino while cutting back to a mile but might not be good enough. Hoffenheim and Stan the Man, front-running types, have produced competitive speed figures at times while facing lesser opponents than an in-form Prince Lucky.