By T. D. Thornton
The next start for 'TDN Rising Star' Gouverneur Morris (Constitution) will hinge on a five-furlong breeze Saturday at Palm Beach Downs.
“If he works well, [trainer] Todd Pletcher will decide whether to stay local and run in the [GI] Florida Derby or wait a week and fly him in for the [GII] Wood Memorial,” Team Valor's Barry Irwin wrote in an email. “With opportunities and travel options expected to be limited, we have changed our outlook on racing him. We want to run him while there are still races available. We are less selective now. The [GII] Blue Grass was his most likely target before it was called off.”
The “Guv's” 2020 debut at Tampa was a mile and 40 yards race that he won just :02 seconds shy of the track record. At age two, the colt won his Saratoga debut by nine lengths, then ran second in the GII Breeders' Futurity S. at Keeneland.
Gouverneur Morris was ranked as the No. 2 contender on the latest version of the Fasig-Tipton GI Kentucky Derby Top 12 list. In the wake of the Derby date getting reset to Sept. 5, TDN's Top 12 rankings will resume Apr. 14.
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