Pletcher Duo Exits Florida Derby Well

 Materiality (Afleet Alex) exited his victory in the GI Besilu Stables Florida Derby in fine fettle, according to trainer Todd Pletcher. “He pulled up well and is just coming back from Gulfstream now,” Pletcher said from his base at Palm Beach Downs Sunday morning. “It was a very determined effort. He showed his tenacity. It was a long drive from a half-mile out over a very demanding surface and against a very good horse. I thought it was very impressive for him to be able to do that in his third start. I think he’s certainly earned his way [to the Kentucky Derby]. Five weeks should be beneficial since we ran back in 22 days [in the Florida Derby], but it’s also a long time, so hopefully he continues to do well.”

Stablemate and fourth-place finisher Itsaknockout (Lemon Drop Kid) was also doing well after the race. “He seemed a little tired afterwards,” the conditioner stated. “Like I said, the track was very, very tiring and demanding. I don’t think he really relished it. He seemed to cool out fine, although he was a little tired, so we’ll just kind of regroup and see how he is over the next few days.”