HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Todd Pletcher reported that Holy Bull winner Nearly came out of Saturday's race in good order and was enjoying the unseasonably cold South Florida weather along with the rest of his stablemates at the Palm Beach Downs training center on Sunday.
“He’s looking well and feeling frisky like all of them here this morning,” Pletcher said.
Pletcher and the rest of Nearly's connections, including the plethora of Centennial Farm owners who were on hand to celebrate in the winner’s circle after the Holy Bull, were also feeling pretty frisky after watching their Kentucky Derby hopeful dominate his five rivals on Saturday. Nearly turned in another outstanding performance in his two-turn debut, which earned him a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. That was a point higher than his previous best, posted for a similarly one-sided victory going seven furlongs in his 2-year-old finale 29 days earlier.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to his Beyer number,” Pletcher admitted. “I knew they went pretty quick early on. The problem is there wasn’t another two-turn race on the card (on main track), and it’s hard to come up with a figure when you have no races to compare it with.
"But regardless of the number, I thought it was a very impressive performance," Pletcher said. "We expected him to run well and I thought that was as good a race as we could have hoped for. He did everything right. He put himself in a good spot, showed high cruising speed and finished with something left.”
Pletcher said he hasn’t had any serious discussions with Nearly’s ownership group to make any firm decisions on what would be next, although the $1 million Florida Derby here on March 28 is likely the primary option.
“Our only real discussion came before the race, when we acknowledged the Holy Bull was going to be his third start in a relatively short spacing,” Pletcher said. “We wanted to get that two-turn experience and see where we stood before making any decision. We were hoping to get in a spot where we’d be able to give him a little more time and he certainly ran well enough to think of doing something like that now. He’s 3 for 3 at Gulfstream and the extra spacing before the Florida Derby certainly makes the most sense.”
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. likewise reported his two top 3-year-old prospects, Holy Bull runner-up Bravaro and Swale winner Solitude Dude, exited their races in good order and left open the possibility that both could return at the end of the month in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.
Although Bravaro came out second-best while suffering his first defeat in three career starts in the Holy Bull, Joseph was ecstatic with his performance. He feels the New York-bred, who earned a career-best 88 Beyer Figure, can move only forward off the race.
“Both horses checked out good this morning,” Joseph said. “I was very happy with Bravaro. Even though he did not win, it was no disappointment at all. The winner was the best horse yesterday. We gave him a break after his previous start with the Holy Bull in mind as a starting point for the season, and I feel like he should improve off the race. And all being well, the Fountain of Youth makes the most sense. Especially with Nearly likely to skip the race and wait for the Florida Derby.”
Solitude Dude remained perfect and virtually untested in three starts after his 3 3/4-length decision over the Pletcher-trained Class President in the seven-furlong Swale. He, too, continues to progress up the Beyer ladder with a lifetime best 95 for the effort.
“Solitude Dude continues to be consistent and very versatile,” Joseph said. “This time he broke well and was on the lead. And when it looked like Todd’s horse was going to give him a challenge, Irad (Ortiz Jr.) knew what he had, let him out a notch, and he pulled away. Visually it looked like he had more to give at the end, and Irad said he felt the same way after the race.”
Joseph noted that he talked with the owners before the Swale regarding the possibility of trying Solitude around two turns in the Fountain of Youth if he performed well on Saturday.
“I’m not sure I want to start making the two-turn experiment with him right now when he could be a leader in the one-turn division. Although it is certainly a possibility the way he ran yesterday,” Joseph said. “The question is, do we fall for that trap or decide to be patient? At the moment, we probably won’t look at any other alternative until we fully eliminate the Fountain of Youth as an option.”
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