Talented Pletcher pair get back to work in allowance
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream Park will give its loyal fans an early Christmas present when it runs a 10-race program on Sunday, Christmas Eve, with first post at noon Eastern. A trio of allowance events brightens up the card, the best of the three being the fourth race, a seven-furlong dash to be run under second-level allowance and optional-claiming conditions.
Leading trainer Todd Pletcher appears to hold the upper hand in the main event with a pair of lightly raced and talented 3-year-olds, Theory and Egyptian Hero, neither of whom has started since May.
Theory was an easy winner of his first two starts, including the Grade 3 Futurity at Belmont Park, but failed to hit the board in three subsequent starts, including the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Egyptian Hero registered a pair of victories going seven furlongs last winter at Tampa Bay Downs and was tentatively being pointed to the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland before going to the sidelines for an extended vacation.
:: CLOCKER REPORT: Get workout grades and comments for the Gulfstream Park Championship meet
“We stopped on both just to give them some time off,” said Pletcher. “Neither had any major issues. In a perfect world, I’d really prefer not to run them against each other, but both are eligible for two-other-thans, both are ready to run, so it’s simply a case of doing what’s right for each horse and each horse’s owners.”
Pletcher added that both horses are training well coming up to the race.
“I’m interested to see how they’re going to step up off the layoffs,” said Pletcher. “They’ve worked together on several occasions and seem pretty evenly matched in the morning, although Theory is probably at a bit of a disadvantage, drawing the 1 hole going seven furlongs off a layoff.”
The Pletcher duo will face five rivals, including Troublewithatee, who raced exclusively in Southern California before joining trainer Jorge Navarro’s barn this month. Stakes winner Crocodile Charlie, Minute Madness, Grand Candy, and Sunshine N Shadow complete the lineup.
