Leading Pletcher Duo Ready For Final Preps

By Christie DeBernardis

Seven-time Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher approaches the GI Kentucky Derby May 2 fully loaded with six possible runners. Having clinched his second straight GI Florida Derby victory last week with undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’Materiality (Afleet Alex), the conditioner heads into this big Derby prep weekend with a pair of Grade I-winning colts that are arguably his leading contenders, Carpe Diem (Giant’s Causeway) and Daredevil (More Than Ready). 

Co-topping the OBS March sale at $1.6 million after breezing a furlong in :10.1, Carpe Diem showed talent and immense promise from the very beginning. 

“He was sort of on everyone’s radar [at OBS March],” Pletcher remarked on a media teleconference Tuesday. “He had a sensational breeze. We were well aware of his capabilities early on and he came into Saratoga and trained accordingly for us. What probably surprised me more than anything was the amount of speed he showed that he had as we were training him.” 

Tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ following a spectacular debut victory sprinting at Saratoga Sept. 1, the WinStar Farm and Stonestreet Stable runner showed distance was not an issue when airing by 6 1/4 lengths in the GI Breeders’ Futurity S. at Keeneland Oct. 4. 

“Normally with a horse of his pedigree, you wouldn’t think you would start them off at 5 1/2 furlongs in their first start,” Pletcher said. “Based on where he was in his training, we decided to run him late in the meet at Saratoga going 5 1/2. I think when a horse like him is able to win from a one post in that type of situation, and show speed from the gate, shows his quality. Then to be able to stretch out to 1 1/16 miles in his second start is pretty exceptional.” 

The first lost of the hulking bay’s career came at Santa Anita when he was a late-running second to the runaway winner Texas Red (Afleet Alex) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 1. 

“With the exception of kind of getting lost a little bit in the far turn and acclamating to that dirt in the Breeders’ Cup, he had a remarkable 2-year-old season,” Pletcher said. “He has done all the thing you physically want one to do from two to three, so he is the whole package.” 

Given a breather following the Breeders’ Cup, Carpe Diem proved he had not lost anything during his time off with a dazzling victory in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 7. 

“He wasn’t quite ready for the [GII] Fountain of Youth [S. Feb. 21] and we didn’t want to start him at 7/8,” Pletcher remarked. “We wanted to get a two-turn race under his belt. Timing wise we felt [the Tampa Bay Derby] was a great place for him and Tampa historically is a great place to prep horses. It’s a safe surface and we have had success there in the past with a few horse, but in particular [2010 Kentucky Derby winner] Super Saver.” 

The 47-year-old conditioner added, “It was kind of a no brainer for us. Once we got him back in training and saw where he was in his development, we never really considered any other race.” 

Carpe Diem will make his final start before the Derby Saturday in Keeneland’s GI Toyota Blue Grass S. 

“Once he ran so well in the Breeders’ Futurity, we kind of always felt like the Blue Grass would be a natural fit for his final prep, and he has done nothing along the way to make us think otherwise,” Pletcher commented. “We just hope for a smooth run and another good performance.” 

The conditioner continued, “I wouldn’t say he has to win in order to go on to the next one. He has already stamped himself as one of the leaders of the division. The horse has trained remarkably well since the Tampa Bay Derby. We are excited about running him and hope for another Carpe Diem-like performance and have him come out of the race healthy.” 

Pletcher and WinStar Farm will also be represented in Saturday’s GI TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct by Dardevil, who WinStar owns in partnership with Let’s Go Stable and China Horse Club. 

An impressive first-out winner in the mud at Belmont Sept. 13, the bay posted another dominating victory in a sloppy renewal of that venue’s one-mile GI Champagne S. next out Oct. 4. Installed as the second choice behind Carpe Diem in the Juvenile, he never lifted a hoof, finishing last of the 11, and was subsequently shelved. 

Heavily favored to capture his sophomore bow in Gulfstream’s seven-furlong GII Fasig-Tipton Swale S. Mar. 7, the bay was forced to settle for second behind 6-1 shot Ready for Rye (City Zip). 

“I thought his Swale was a very good race,” Pletcher remarked. “We didn’t anticipate that we would have to run as fast as we would have had to in order to win the Swale [1:22.39]. We had him prepared in a fashion where we hoped he would run well, and expected him to run well, but didn’t actually think we would have to run quite that fast to get the job done.” 

He added, “I thought he ran super and he came out of it well.” 

Given his disappointing performance in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, distance seems to be the major question for Daredevil, but his conditioner is not concerned. 

“He did win at a mile as a 2-year-old, so that gives us some confidence that he will stretch out,” Pletcher said. “His half-brother Albertus Maximus (Albert the Great) won the [GI] Donn H., which gives us added confidence. Plus, we had success with Verrazano (More than Ready) around two turns in the Wood Memorial and [GI] Haskell [Invitational S.], which gives us confidence that More Than Ready can produce a horse that would do that.” 

The trainer added, “I think he is very talented. He is also fast and part of his success stretching out will be how he settled in the first part. We are excited about the opportunity and looking forward to it. Like everyone else, we are going to be interested to see how he sees out the mile and an eighth.”