Fla Derby

[Indian Charlie]

Does anyone know where the FOY winner of Pletchers is headed next? Fla Derby maybe?

Who else might be showing up there? I haven't been able to find much on that race.

[zippyneedsawin]

FL Derby seems likely, though TAP doesn't prefer the spacing:


http://www.drf.com/news/article/110984.html


The challenge now for Pletcher is figuring out how to move his chess pieces into the spots provided. In addition to those three runners, he has Aikenite, the third-place finisher in the Fountain of Youth, plus Rule and Super Saver. He would like to keep everyone apart, but that's something his embarrassment of riches may not allow.

Eskendereya could come back in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream on March 20, though the new scheduling of that race - six weeks before the May 1 Kentucky Derby - bothers Pletcher, who wishes it would have been left five weeks in front of the Derby as in recent years. Rule is likely to end up in the Florida Derby, too, Pletcher said.

"That's the most likely race for Eskendereya," Pletcher said Monday. "He is 2 for 2 here. The luxury we have is that if we need more time, there's other races a week or two later, like the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 3."

By contrast, the spacing of the Risen Star to the March 27 Louisiana Derby to the Kentucky Derby is perfect for Discreetly Mine, Pletcher said.

"It's five weeks to the Louisiana Derby and then five weeks to the Derby, and he showed he likes that track," Pletcher said.

Eskendereya got a Beyer Speed Figure of 106 in the Fountain of Youth. It is the biggest figure of the year by any 3-year-old. Discreetly Mine got a 94, and Connemara an 83. In the other graded stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday, D' Funnybone got a 99 Beyer for his victory in the seven-furlong Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream, and Conveyance got a 97 in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.

Eskendereya is unbeaten in three starts on dirt. His worst performance came on the Santa Anita Pro-Ride in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, in which he encountered traffic on the first turn and finished ninth.