Pletcher Trio Headlines Discovery

 Aqueduct offers some rare Wednesday graded stakes action as seven sophomores, including a trio of Todd Pletcher trainees, seek to establish themselves as factors in next year’s handicap division in the GIII Discovery H. Cheyenne Stables LLC and Mac Nichol’s Madefromlucky (Lookin At Lucky) enters as Pletcher’s most accomplished runner, having captured the GII Peter Pan S. at Belmont May 9 and the GII West Virginia Derby Aug. 1–both at the Discovery’s nine-furlong distance. The chestnut was recently outrun in the wake of GISW Frosted (Tapit) in the GII Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Sept. 19, and meets a field that should be more to his liking in this return from a brief layoff.

He will be joined in the gate by Paul Pompa Jr. and All American Horses LLC’s Tommy Macho (Macho Uno), who finished a distant seventh behind his stablemate in the West Virginia Derby but turned the tables when third at Parx in September. Madefromlucky and Tommy Macho have posted a trio of bullet five-panel drills at Belmont in company, perhaps indicating that they will show improved speed in a race with an uncertain pace scenario.

First Spark (Indian Charlie) figures to go off as the longest price of any Pletcher entrant, installed at morning line odds of 12-1. The Wertheimer and Frere homebred captured his debut over the inner track here in March and looks to build off a two-race win streak in allowance company.

Stonestreet Stables’ Ocean Knight (Curlin), winner of the GIII Sam F. Davis S. in January, looms as the 2-1 morning line favorite. Sent to the sidelines following a seventh-place run in the GII Tampa Bay Derby in March, the bay closed to miss by less than length when second in a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer at Saratoga Aug. 30 and recently earned a hard-fought score over a mile at Belmont Oct. 9. Returning to a two-turn trip, the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee will attempt to navigate the longest distance of his career in the Discovery.

“After the Tampa Derby, we sent him home trying to figure out what happened, why he ran so poorly,” said McLaughlin. “But we gave him some time off and he’s come back very well.”

Arnold Zetcher homebred Smart Transition (Smart Strike) caught the eye winning over this same trip in the restricted Curlin S. at Saratoga July 31 and failed to factor in a sixth-place run in the GI Travers S. Aug. 29. Saddled by the ever-patient John Shirreffs, the colt fired a bullet five-panel drill in :59.03 at Belmont Oct. 27. Made in Detroit (Arch) and Total Joint (Tiz Wonderful), recently first and third in an Oct. 3 allowance event at Belmont, complete the field.