Todd Pletcher was among the trainers dodging rain drops Thursday while trying to figure out his best strategy for breezing the Met Mile-bound Fierceness. Pletcher ultimately sent him out about 15 minutes after White Abarrio worked a quick five furlongs on the main track, albeit over the back-raked Oklahoma training track.
Breezing in company with regular workmate Tuscan Sky, Fierceness went an easy half-mile in 49.86 seconds, finishing strong before galloping out very willingly into and around the turn, covering five furlongs in 1:02.67 before easing up six furlongs in 1:15.49. The work was the third locally for Fierceness since capturing the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs in his 2025 debut on May 2.
“The [Oklahoma training track] hasn’t been producing fast times but it was very safe and he was well in hand throughout,” Pletcher said. “I thought it was a good work with a very solid gallop-out. Very impressive. By getting the work in this morning, it gives us a little flexibility now. We can bring him back for one more either next Friday or Saturday.”
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Pletcher also said he is undecided on what might be next for his lightly raced but progressive 3-year-old Crudo exiting his 7 1/2-length victory last weekend at Pimlico in the Sir Barton Stakes.
“He came back well and looks good out of the race,” Pletcher said. “We’ll take some time and come up with a game plan. I’m not ruling anything out, including the Belmont, although that might be a little ambitious at this point.”
Journalism, who is stabled in Pletcher’s barn at the Oklahoma training track, returned to the racetrack for the first time since his dazzling victory in the Preakness to jog a mile over the sealed main track shortly before 8:00 a.m. on Thursday under regular exercise rider Mark Witkowski.
“The track was wet but it was tight and in good shape. We just went an easy mile and I thought he felt exactly the same as he did the first few days after we arrived at Pimlico following the Derby,” Witkowski said. “I have no complaints. Nothing has changed, which is a good thing.”
Other prominent names to breeze over the training track here Thursday included the multiple Grade 1 turf specialist Far Bridge, who went five furlongs from the three-eighths pole in 1:04.01 and Colloquial, idle since capturing the Lafayette at Keeneland in his stakes debut on April 7, completed the same distance in 1:03.20.
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