McLaughlin & Pletcher Dominate Met

With three runners a piece, trainers Kiaran McLaughlin and Todd Pletcher will collectively saddle half the field in Saturday's 13-horse renewal of the GI Mohegan Sun Metropolitan H. Headlining both the race and the McLaughlin contingent is Godolphin runner Frosted (Tapit), who will be making his first start since a fifth-place finish behind California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 26. Winner of last term's GI Wood Memorial S. and second to American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GI Belmont S., the gray captured the GII Pennsylvania Derby last September before finishing seventh to the Triple Crown winner in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Oct. 31. He kicked of this season with a win in his DWC prep in Meydan's G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Feb. 4.

“TDN Rising Star” Marking (Bernardini) is also making his first start since returning from Dubai. Opening his account with a pair of wins in the fall of 2015, the Godolphin homebred finished second to champion Runhappy (Super Saver) in Santa Anita's GI Malibu S. Dec. 26 and kicked off this season in Dubai, where he dropped his rider at the start of the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint Feb. 11. He rebounded to win a handicap there two weeks later and was fourth last time in the G2 Godolphin Mile on DWC night. Rounding out the McLaughlin trio is Shadwell Stable's Tamarkuz (Speightstown), who enters off a fourth-place finish in this venue's GII Kelso H. Oct. 3.

“Frosted couldn't be doing any better,” McLaughlin said to the NYRA press office. “This race could be a little short for him, but we're excited about it and I think there will be a lot of pace. Tamarkuz, who is coming back from a long layoff, will come from off the pace. He worked really well for us here, so we're ready to go. Marking has not won a stakes race yet so this is a jump up for him, but the value of the race for their stallion resume is so important that if you get lucky to win the race with any of the three, it's great.”

The Coolmore contingent and Stonestreet Stables' Stanford (Malibu Moon) heads the Pletcher group off a front-running victory in the nine-panel GII Charles Town Classic Apr. 23. Prior to that victory he finished second in a pair of starts at this distance in Hallandale's GIII Fred Hopper S. Feb. 6 and the GII Gulfstream Park H. Mar. 5, which was won by stablemate Blofeld (Quality Road), who enters off a fourth to Effinex (Mineshaft) in the GII Oaklawn H. Apr. 16. The bay was scratched from an expected start in the GIII Pimlico Special S., won by GISW Noble Bird (Birdstone), three weeks ago in favor of this spot. The other member of the Pletcher trio signed on here is Alto Racing's Anchor Down (Tapit), last seen crushing the field in the track-and-trip GIII Westchester S. by 6 3/4 lengths May 7.

“Stanford has done very well this year,” Pletcher told the NYRA notes team. “He also did well at three, but seems to have broken through to a different level this year. His Charles Town race was a great performance from him and was fun to watch, so we're excited about him. Anchor Down seemed to do really well in the Westchester by coming out running and I anticipate we'll do the same thing with him. Stanford and Blofeld are horses than can adapt to different running styles depending upon the pace of the race.”

Following a pair of heart-breaking defeats in his last two outings, Richard Pell's Calculator (In Summation) looks to get back on top in this spot. Winner of the 2015 GIII Sham S., he was subsequently sidelined and returned with an allowance victory at Santa Anita 13 months later Feb. 13. Breaking slowly in the GII San Carlos S. Mar. 12, the gray produced a wide late rally to finish a respetable third, missed by just a head next out in the GI Carter H. Apr. 9 and was second again last time in the GII Churchill Downs S. May 7.

Ivan Dalos's Ami's Flatter (Flatter) is another with a solid chance to steal the show from the McLaughlin and Pletcher teams. Kicking off this term with a decisive allowance score at Gulfstream Jan. 13, the Josie Carroll pupil finished fourth in the Fred Hooper and rebounded with a convincing tally in Keeneland's GIII Commonwealth S. Apr. 9. Also of intrigue here is Ralph Evans and WinStar Farm's GIII Razorback H. winner Upstart (Flatter), who has proven to be strong off a bit of a layoff–having last raced eight weeks ago when fifth in the Oaklawn H.–and adds blinkers for this cut back in trip.