Todd Pletcher

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 11:35 a.m. Juvenile colts kick off the festivities on GI Belmont S. day. Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle three for the big one, and two members of the next generation in here. Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Gainesway Stable's Wit (Practical Joke) was a $575,000 Keeneland September buy. He is a half brother to the talented Washington-based GSW Barkley (Munnings). Wit's stablemate Keepcalmcarryon (Union Rags) cost $75,000 at the same auction. His dam Lavender Chrissie (Scat Daddy) was...

3rd-Belmont, $85,560, Alw, 6-3, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:15.28, gd, 6 1/2 lengths. FOLLOWING SEA (c, 3, Runhappy--Quick Flip {SW}, by Speightstown) repeated his 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy graduation with a facile romp against allowance company at Belmont Friday. Disqualified from second and placed third on debut at Santa Anita Mar. 6, the Spendthrift homebred stormed home to a 5 3/4-length victory next out at Oaklawn Apr. 10, leading home a Runhappy one-two over next-out Hot Springs maiden romper Happymac. Pointed for Pimlico's GIII Chick Lang S. following that effort, he...

ELMONT, NY - The handsome gray Knicks Go (Paynter) was among several high-profile runners spotted stretching their legs on an overcast and humid Thursday morning at beautiful Belmont Park ahead of this weekend's GI Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Mile H.-bound GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Pegasus World Cup winner wrapped up his exercise just before 6 a.m. With an on-and-off light drizzle falling throughout the morning as temperatures hovered in the low 60s, GI Preakness S. upsetter and Belmont S. second-choice Rombauer...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PRICEY & WELL-BRED FIRSTERS LINE UP AT BELMONT 4th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, 2:24p.m. A trio of well-bred colts meet in this loaded maiden event at Big Sandy on Belmont S. eve. Hall of Famer Bill Mott unveils the latest Godolphin blue-blood in Cody's Wish (Tapit). The homebred is a daughter of Grade I winner Dance Card (Tapit), who is also the dam of GSP Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro) and SP Bocephus (Medaglia d'Oro). Todd Beatie ships in from Penn National with a $600,000 KEESEP purchase...

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher offers a two-pronged attack--Con Lima (Commisioner) and Jouster (Noble Mission {GB})--in Thursday's GIII Wonder Again S. at Belmont. Drawing the two hole in the nine-furlong event, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph Graffeo, Del Toro, Eric Nikolaus and Troy Johnson's Con Lima will attempt to collect her fourth stakes victory of the season after placing in a pair of blakc-type tests last term. The Texas-bred kicked off 2021 with a score in Gulfstream's one-mile Ginger Brew S. Jan. 2 before finishing runner-up to White Frost (Candy Ride...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-BEL, $92K, Alw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 4:09 p.m. ET Spendthrift Farm made waves when it announced, following the failed drug test of GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit (Protonico), that it would be moving some horses out of trainer Bob Baffert's barn. One of the most intriguing of those horses, 'TDN Rising Star' FOLLOWING SEA (Runhappy), will make his first start for the Todd Pletcher barn in this first-level allowance sprint early on Thursday's card. Unveiled at 9-10 Mar. 6 at Santa Anita, the homebred...

Sainthood, 11th last time in the GI Kentucky Derby, became the first black-type and graded stakes winner for his sire (by Medaglia d'Oro) with a resilient victory in this off-turf prep for the GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. Beaten a head dirt sprinting at Gulfstream Jan. 9, the dark bay scored by a nose around two turns on the Fair Grounds main track Feb. 13. He earned a spot into the Derby starting gate with a runner-up finish in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks over Turfway Tapeta Mar. 27, and...

3rd-Belmont, $93,120, Alw (C)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-28, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:36.57, ft, 1 length. HAPPY SAVER (c, 4, Super Saver--Happy Week {MSP, $228,674}, by Distorted Humor), off since annexing last October's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup going 10 local panels, picked up where he left off to stay unbeaten. A 5 1/2-length debut romper sprinting here last June, the Wertheimer homebred bested older allowance rivals by four lengths going nine furlongs at Saratoga a month later, good for a 96 Beyer Speed Figure and 'TDN Rising Star' honors. The chestnut continued...

• John and Diane Fradkin's GI Preakness S. winner Rombauer (Twirling Candy) worked a half-mile in company Friday on the Belmont Park main track in preparation for the GI Belmont S. Rombauer, trained by Michael McCarthy, was clocked in :50.01 (53/86) beneath John Velazquez over the fast main track. "I was very happy with the work," McCarthy said. "I just wanted him to go ahead and get familiar with Johnny. It seemed like he was well in hand at all times. Johnny asked him to gallop out a little bit going...

Sainthood (Mshawish), runner-up in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks over the Turfway synthetic Mar. 27 and 11th-place finisher in the GI Kentucky Derby, makes his grass debut in Saturday's GII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont Park. Sainthood breezed twice over the Belmont lawn since, including a four-furlong move around the dogs in :49 (4/12) May 22. His dam Lemon Hero (Lemon Drop Kid) was stakes-placed over the Hollywood Park lawn. "He and Mshawish have similar physiques, and like Mshawish, this one seems pretty versatile," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "We've had...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-BEL, $96K, Alw/Opt. Clm, 4yo/up, 1m, 2:02 p.m. ET Wertheimer and Frere's undefeated Grade I winner HAPPY SAVER (Super Saver) is slated to make his first start since October in this one-mile allowance/optional claiming affair early on Friday's card at Belmont. Debuting last June with a powerful 5 1/2-length score going seven local furlongs that earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Repeating with a four-length success when stretched out to two turns at Saratoga, the homebred passed his first stakes test in annexing the Federico Tesio...

Wertheimer and Frere's unbeaten Happy Saver (Super Saver), last seen winning the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup last October, will make his 4-year-old debut in an allowance at Belmont Park Friday. "I'm happy to get his season under way," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "Hopefully, we've done enough with him to have him ready, but I'm looking forward to getting him going." Following some down time at WinStar Farm, Happy Saver began working regularly at Palm Beach Downs in early April before shipping to Pletcher's division in Saratoga. His most recent...