By Tim Wilkin
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–During his Hall of Fame career, trainer Todd Pletcher has won the GIII Sanford at Saratoga a record eight times. He'll look to pad that stat on Saturday when he saddles Mentee (City of Light) in the six-furlong race, which will be run for the 108th time.
“For me, it's always about the 2-year-olds,” Pletcher said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track when asked what the most exciting part of training is for him. “The 2-year-old program is fantastic here; the state program is great. We have been fortunate over the years to have some that are ready for the Schuylerville and the Sanford. Hopefully, we can keep moving forward.”
Mentee is a full brother to Fierceness (City of Light), a current Pletcher stable star. Mentee and Fierceness are ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and both are owned by Mike Repole.
The similarities end there.
“You would not look at (Mentee) and say, 'oh, that is Fierceness' little brother,” Pletcher said. “He is not quite as tall and is a little broader.”
Mentee began his career with a narrow win over the George Weaver-trained Colloquial (Vekoma). He won by a nose in the five-furlong race, which was completed in a track record time of 56.97 seconds at Aqueduct on June 15.
In the stretch, Mentee opened up by five lengths before Colloquial made it close.
“He was traveling pretty easily and then he got a little complacent on the lead,” Pletcher said. “Johnny looked back and didn't see anyone and he looked back again and didn't see anyone. He thought he had put him away. Credit to George's horse; he ran a good race.”
Pletcher said that Mentee showed tactical speed as soon as he came into the barn. When the colt showed his speed in the debut, it came as no surprise. Now, the hope is he continues to move forward.
“I wish we had not drawn the rail (in the Sanford), but I have been happy with everything he has done,” Pletcher said. “He has been a pleasure to train so far.”
Motion Is Way Overdue For Better Luck In Diana
When it comes to the GI Diana Stakes at Saratoga, trainer Graham Motion has had plenty of luck. All of it bad.
In the 13 editions of the Diana he has had horses in, Motion has finished second six times. Five of them have been by the slimmest of margins; three by a head and one each by a nose and a neck. Talk about excruciating.
“Thanks for reminding me,” Motion said by phone from his training base at Fair Hill in Maryland. “But it will not put me off from trying.”
Motion will have a horse in Saturday's $500,000 Diana, which will be run on the inner turf course at 1 1/8 miles. Mission of Joy (Kitten's Joy) is one of the 11 filles and mares entered.
The 4-year-old filly has won four of 12 career starts and was last seen finishing third, beaten a half length, in the one-mile GI Just A Game at Saratoga last month.
“I think the 1 1/8 miles will suit her a little better,” Motion said. “We thought of her as a miler but I'm not sure the mile and an eighth is not better for her. She has shown she belongs in these races.”
In the Just A Game, Mission of Joy was defeated by Chili Flag (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}) and Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio). Those two are also back in the Diana, part of the five-horse patrol coming from the barn of Chad Brown.
Whitebeam is the defending Diana champion.
Although Motion has had plenty of frustration in the Diana, he has had a plethora of success lately. In his last 80 starts, he has 25 wins.
“Sometimes, things just click, and it has for us in the last 30, 60 days,” Motion said. “You worry when you are not doing well, and you worry when you are doing well because you want to keep it going. At the end of the day, it's all about having better horses.”
Fernando Abreu and Javier Castellano | Sarah Andrew
Another Abreu Finds Winner's Circle At Saratoga
At the end of Friday's first race at Saratoga, when 3-year-old filly Reliable Lady (Take Charge Indy) was bounding home to win by 21/2 lengths, Fernando Abreu got emotional.
“When I saw she was going to win, I had tears coming out of my eyes,” Abreu said in the winner's circle.
That's because this was the first time the 44-year-old Abreu had ever won a race at the Spa.
Abreu spend most of his time training in Florida but is spending the summer at Saratoga, a place he has always been familiar with. He worked as an assistant for the late Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens for 19 years.
For the last nine years, he has been on his own. He said has started between 20 and 25 horses at Saratoga during his career.
Reliable Lady, owned and bred by Irving Cowan, came into Abreu's barn when trainer Ralph Nicks retired in April. She broke her maiden in the seven-furlong, $100,000 race, her fourth start.
Abreu is the brother of Jorge Abreu, a trainer on the New York circuit.
“This is a very special feeling,” Fernando Abreu said. “All the things you go through in the morning and then seen them show up in the afternoon. I thought if she showed up, she was going to be good.”
Stewart Is Going To Be Busy On Saturday
Trainer Dallas Stewart, absent from Saratoga last summer, save for a couple of days, is back in town and he'll be here for the duration of the meet.
“Didn't have the stock,” Stewart said Friday morning, explaining why he wasn't here a year ago.
He has 10 horses stabled at his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track and five of them will be running on Saturday.
“Half the barn is going,” he said with a laugh. “I am going to bring another five up (from Kentucky) in a week.”
He plans on running a couple juveniles in stakes races next month. Anakarina (Vekoma), who broke her maiden in her second start, is being pointed to the GIII Adirondack Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Aug. 4 and Louisiana-bred Smoken Wicked (Bobby's Wicked One) is on target for the GII Saratoga Special for 2-year-old colts on Aug. 10.
Smoken Wicked finished second in the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs at 32-1 in his first start versus winners on June 30.
Stewart said that 5-year-old Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft), winner of the GII Cigar Mile Handicap last year and third in the GI Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga last month, could run in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 27 or he might wait for the GI Forego on Aug. 24, Travers Day.
“If you have the right stock, this is the place to be,” he said.
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