Trainer Todd Pletcher already owns a record seven GIII Hutcheson S. trophies, but he'll have to make room on the mantle if Impact Player (City Zip) picks up where he left off on Saturday. The NK Racing colorbearer broke through at fourth asking with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure over track and trip in December, and crushed optional claiming foes by 7 1/4 lenghs last out Jan. 17. Tricks to Doo (Into Mischief) romped by 7 1/4 lengths in Tampa's Inaugural S. Dec. 16, but the $600,000 OBS March pick-up settled for a dull fourth in the GIII Swale S. over an additional furlong here Feb. 3 behind talented 'TDN Rising Star' Strike Power (Speightstown). “I didn't see any excuses,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said. “I thought we had a good trip. The seven-eighths was a little too far for him. The track was probably a little bit tiring. We had some rain the day before, but Strike Power is a very nice horse and I didn't see any excuses.” The well-bred Madison's Luna (Tapit), a half to Grade I winners Visionaire (Grand Slam) and Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song), will look to build off a promising debut score at Tampa Feb. 10. Soutache (Backtalk), meanwhile, makes his first afternoon appearance since taking the final two legs of the Florida Stallion Series, capped by the two-turn In Reality S. Sept. 30. A pair of Jaime Mejia trainees round out the field–the clear standout of the pair is Belle Tapisserie (Tapizar), who earned a field's best 93 Beyer when second to Impact Player's well-regarded stablemate National Flag (Speightstown) here Mar. 2.
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