SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mentee, a full brother to Travers winner Fierceness, worked five furlongs in 1:01 Monday morning over Saratoga’s main track and afterward trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed him as a starter for Monday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes.
Mentee was scratched from the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes on July 13 due to a fever and didn’t recover in time to make the Saratoga Special. Monday’s work was his second five-furlong work since returning to training.
“I thought both of his five-eighths works were very good, strong gallop-outs,” Pletcher said. “Made up for some lost time there.”
Among those expected for the Hopeful are Chancer McPatrick and Incentive Pay for Chad Brown, impressive debut winner Ferocious, Tremont Stakes winner Studlydoright, Tough Catch and Smoken Wicked for trainer Dallas Stewart, and the maiden Innovator.
◗ Next, nominated to the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup here on Sunday, will instead be pointed to the Grade 3, $200,000 Greenwood Cup at Parx on Sept. 21, trainer Doug Cowans informed via text on Monday.
Next won last year’s Greenwood Cup by 25 lengths. He is coming off a 22 1/4-length victory in the Birdstone at Saratoga last month and has won six consecutive marathon stakes races.
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