Candied, Miss Justify look to give Pletcher fifth win in G1 Alabama pres. by Keeneland Sales

Hall of Fame
trainer Todd Pletcher will have two chances to secure a fifth victory in the
Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales as he sends out Grade
1-winner Candied and promising stakes-winner Miss Justify in Saturday’s
10-furlong test for sophomore fillies at Saratoga Race Course.
The two talented
fillies posted a steady work in company on August 2, covering a half-mile in
50.66 seconds over the Spa main track.
“They seemed to
make good companions. I’m happy with the way they did it,” said Pletcher, whose
past Alabama wins came with Princess of Sylmar [2013], Stopchargingmaria
[2014], Malathaat [2021] and Nest [2022].
Eclipse
Thoroughbred Partners’ Candied arrives from a runner-up finish to divisional
leader Thorpedo Anna in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on
July 20 here. The daughter of Candy Ride was patiently ridden by Manny Franco,
stalking in third-of-4 behind an even tempo set by Grade 1-winning stablemate
Leslie’s Rose. She made up ground willingly when asked to angle 2-to-4-wide in
the final turn, but could not catch the powerful Thorpedo Anna and was defeated
4 1/2 lengths.
Pletcher said he
was pleased with the bay’s effort behind a standout like Thorpedo Anna, who is
targeting the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers against males on August 24.
“She’s been super
consistent, just second-best last time,” said Pletcher. “I think she’ll handle
the mile and a quarter. With Thorpedo Anna going to the Travers, I think this
race is much more wide open.”
Candied brings top
Grade 1 form to the field of eight after taking the Alcibiades in October at
Keeneland. She closed out her juvenile campaign with a solid third in the Grade
1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Santa Anita Park, and returned
in April to finish fourth in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland. The filly came
up just shy on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, and did not draw into the
prestigious Grade 1 test on the first Friday in May after landing on the
also-eligible list.
After a two-month
respite, she made a grand return against elders in Monmouth Park’s Listed
Lady’s Secret, crushing the 1 1/16-mile route by 4 1/2 lengths over Honor D
Lady, who exited that race to win the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 7.
Candied was awarded a career and field-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure for the
victory.
Bred in Kentucky by
Buck Pond Farm, Candied was a $165,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky
Select Yearling Sale and has banked $784,675 in earnings through a 6-3-1-1
record.
Franco returns to
the irons from post 7.
Twin Oaks
Bloodstock, IEE Racing, Joseph Bulger and Will Campbell’s Miss Justify makes a
step up in both class and trip after back-to-back wins going one-mile. The
Justify bay was last seen winning the local restricted Wilton going one-mile
from the Wilson Chute on July 12. The Wilton was successfully used as a
springboard for last year’s Alabama-winner Randomized.
In the Wilton, Miss
Justify was six lengths off the pace through the first quarter-mile and inched
into contention throughout each point of call to be just one length back of the
prominent Striker Has Dial at the top of the lane. She found more with each
stride under Flavien Prat to rally up the rail and take control inside the
final sixteenth and win by one length, earning a lifetime-best 87 Beyer.
Pletcher said Miss
Justify, who also notched a 2 1/2-length win in her first effort beyond sprint
distances in June at Churchill Downs, continues to improve with each start.
“We are hoping she
will handle the added distance,” said Pletcher. “She has handled the mile well
the last two times. Coming off two wins, she’s deserving of the opportunity.”
Miss Justify made her first
two starts in Maryland for conditioner Susan Cooney, including a third-place
effort when making her stakes debut in the six-furlong Smart Halo in November.
She moved to Pletcher’s care this year and finished fourth going seven furlongs
in a March optional claimer at Gulfstream Park ahead of her two recent wins.
Prat has the call
from post 6.
Graded
stakes-winner Intricate [post 1, Tyler Gaffalione] remains the only horse to
have defeated Thorpedo Anna after taking the Grade 2 Golden Rod in November at
Churchill, but could not duplicate that feat in the CCA Oaks and settled for
third after tracking in last-of-4 throughout and passing the tiring pacesetter
Leslie’s Rose late in the lane.
"I think she
can improve,” said trainer Brendan Walsh. “She struggled a little bit with the
track early in the [CCA] Oaks. That filly has had her issues, but she seems to
train better and better every week. Having had a run over the track and a couple
of works on it, I think she's coming into it a lot better. I wouldn't discount
her chances. She shouldn't have a problem with the distance, either."
Owned by Bradley
Thoroughbreds, Laura Leigh Stable, Scott Estes and Cambron Equine, the Gun
Runner chestnut seeks her first win since the Golden Rod where she soundly
bested Thorpedo Anna by 5 1/4 lengths with a smart off-the-pace trip engineered
by regular rider Tyler Gaffalione.
"She ran
really well,” Walsh said of the effort. “The race set up really good for her
and she was very impressive that day.”
Three months after
the Golden Rod, she headed south to Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans to
run second in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra in February and a distant fifth in
the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March before being shelved until June due to excess
mucus in her throat.
“She's a nice
filly. She just had her issues down in New Orleans during the winter. It took
us a long time to get her right after that,” Walsh explained. “She's finally
coming right now. If she can make a return to her 2-year-old form, I can't see
why she couldn't have a good second half of the year."
Intricate flashed
her talents again in her June return at Churchill, finishing a close second to
Our Pretty Woman in the Monomoy Girl ahead of the CCA Oaks. The $280,000 OBS
Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training is out of the winning Distorted Humor
mare Complex Analysis.
Lea Farms’ Power
Squeeze [post 3, Javier Castellano] made an exciting return to the winner’s
circle last out with a thrilling nose score over Sidamara in the Grade 3
Delaware Oaks on July 8 at Delaware Park.
Trained by Jorge
Delgado, the Union Rags chestnut put together a four-race win streak from
October to March that included three stakes wins in the Cash Run at Gulfstream,
the Listed Suncoast at Tampa Bay Downs, and a successful graded stakes debut in
the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks by one length over Ways and Means, who won the
Grade 1 Test presented by Ticketmaster on August 3 here.
Power Squeeze tried
her hand against Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks where she was
soundly defeated, and tried again in the Grade 1 DK Horse Acorn on June 7 here
when an admirable third with Castellano at the helm for the first time. She
brags a field-best five career wins from nine outings with earnings in excess
of $500,000.
Also entering from
a Grade 3 coup is William Chatalas, Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners and
breeder Dan Agnew’s Chatalas [post 2, Frankie Dettori], who returns to the barn
of Mark Glatt after taking the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks for trainer Grant Forster.
The Gun Runner bay
returned from a seven-month layoff and set the pace in the 1 1/16-mile tilt on
July 6 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. She maintained a steady lead through the
first half-mile, but was met with a challenge from Little Jamie in the turn and
lost the advantage at the stretch call. Nevertheless, Chatalas battled back
bravely down the lane to will herself in front again at the wire by a head and
scored her second graded stakes conquest.
Last year, Chatalas
posted a respectable juvenile campaign, topped by a pacesetting win in the
Grade 2 Chandelier in October at Santa Anita ahead of an off-the-board finish
in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and a third in the Grade 2
Starlet. She concluded the season with a neck defeat to Medoro in the Listed
Blue Norther at Santa Anita.
Completing the
competitive field are last-out Listed Iowa Oaks victress Just Basking [post 4,
Chris Landeros] for trainer Ian Wilkes; stakes-placed America’s Vow [post 5,
Junior Alvarado] for trainer Timothy Hamm; and the 2-for-3 Neon Icon [post 8,
Luis Saez] for conditioner Rusty Arnold.
The Alabama is
slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 12-race program, which also features the Grade
2, $200,000 Lake Placid presented by Caesars Sportsbook in Race 9. First post
is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
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