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Pletcher powerful with Mentee and Gate to Wire in G3 Futurity

by Christian Abdo

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher boasts the strong pair of Mentee and Gate to Wire in Friday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Futurity, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for juveniles, at Belmont at the Big A.

The Futurity offers a “Win and You’re In” berth for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 1 at Del Mar.

Repole Stable’s Kentucky homebred Mentee [post 7, John Velazquez] set the local dirt five-furlong track record with a final time of 56.97 seconds in his June 15 debut here. The City of Light bay, out of the winning Stay Thirsty mare Nonna Bella, lived up to the hype as the full-brother to multiple Grade 1-winner and Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Fierceness, earning an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.

Mentee’s much-anticipated second start was delayed when he scratched from the Grade 3 Sanford on July 13 at Saratoga Race Course due to a fever. He rerouted to the Grade 1 Hopeful on September 2 at the Spa, but faltered wafter tracking the pace for the first half-mile of the seven-furlong main track test where he finished sixth.

Mentee got a feel for grass when breezing a half-mile in 49.68 seconds over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training turf on September 20.

"He's very versatile from what we've seen. He trained well leading into his debut and ran great on the dirt. We just thought some of the City of Lights seem to take to the turf so we gave him a little breeze on it and he seemed to take to it,” said Pletcher. “The timing and the distance should suit him well.”

Pletcher said Mentee differs physically from his recent Grade 1 DraftKings Travers-winning brother Fierceness, who has made all eight of his starts on dirt.

“He's a little more compact - a little speedier type,” Pletcher said. “I think he's a talented colt and he's versatile enough that we have a few options with him.”

Donegal Racing’s Gate to Wire [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] did not win his debut in gate-to-wire fashion, rather stalking-and-pouncing to a 1 3/4-length score in a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint on August 30 at Saratoga. The Munnings chestnut will step up in class after the performance that earned a 65 Beyer.

“He trained like a horse that would run well on his debut and he was able to do that. We circled this race on the calendar after that maiden win and things have gone according to plan,” Pletcher said. “Knock on wood he can make another move forward.”

Out of the Street Cry mare Sansibar Jewel, Gate to Wire was a $95,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. His second dam is the dual group-winner Irresistible Jewel.

Trainer Mike Maker will saddle New York-bred Under Who’s Radar [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche] for owners Paradise Farms Corp., David Staudacher, Angelo Carlesimo, JP Racing Stable and Skychai Racing. The Violence dark bay was disqualified from first and placed second when making his turf debut last-out in the Listed Juvenile Sprint on September 1 at Kentucky Downs.

There, Under Who’s Radar set the pace in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint and ducked out in the final furlong, crossing the wire three-quarter lengths in front of returning foe Chasing Liberty before the subsequent disqualification. The performance earned an 80 Beyer, one tick lower than a successful debut on dirt in a 5 1/2-furlong state-bred maiden on July 19 at Saratoga.

Bred by Old Tavern Farm, Under Who’s Radar, out of the winning Empire Maker mare Comme Chez Soi, was a $110,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale. His second dam is Grade 1-winner Downthedustyroad.

Twin Creeks Racing Stables Kentucky homebred Chasing Liberty [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] is 2-for-2 after taking the Listed Juvenile Sprint and a successful debut on July 28 at Ellis Park. Trained by Rob Atras, the Constitution chestnut earned a career-best 78 Beyer last-out.

Atras noted it is likely Chasing Liberty will race in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Indian Summer on October 6 at Keeneland.

“Our most likely race is the Indian Summer. We entered here just in case. He is at Keeneland right now, so we are just weighing our options,” said Atras.

Evan Trommer’s I’m Otter Here [post 6, Jaime Torres] also appeared at Kentucky Downs, setting the pace in the Listed Juvenile Mile on September 8 before fading to seventh. Trained by Jeff Hiles, the Munnings chestnut blazed through fractions of 22.72, 44.72 and 1:08.77, which his conditioner believes should translate well to the cutback in distance.

“He ran really fast the first six furlongs. He ran too fast and kind of let the other horses catch him and go by him, so we’re shortening him up. I think it is going to be his preferred distance,” Hiles said. “The forward pace is definitely going to be quicker, but if you look at the fractions he had at Kentucky Downs, he shouldn’t have a problem.”

In his prior outing, I’m Otter Here graduated at second asking going one-mile on August 18 at Ellis Park, pressing the pace and surging to a two-length victory under returning rider Jaime Torres. It was a redemptive effort off his July debut at the same oval, where he broke slowly and closed from 9th-of-10 for third in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint won by the aforementioned Chasing Liberty.

“He should have won his first time out. He kind of broke a step slow from the gate and circled the field to end up finishing third,” Hiles said. “Like I said, we were running a mile at Kentucky Downs, and he ran real fast the first six furlongs. The other horses caught him because he went way too fast.

“If he can do the same thing coming up there going six furlongs, he’ll have a big shot,” Hiles added.

Out of the winning Oasis Dream mare Anya Ylina, I’m Otter Here was a $77,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. His second dam, Es Que, produced group-winners including Dominant, Es Que Love and Listen In.

John Grossi’s Racing’s Florida-homebred Joey Muscles [post 8, Lane Luzzi] will try the turf after an off-the-board finish in the one-mile Listed Sapling on August 31 at Monmouth Park.

Trained by Jena Antonucci, the Khozan chestnut made his three prior efforts on dirt at Gulfstream Park, including a second-out graduation sprinting five furlongs against fellow state-breds that earned a 72 Beyer, ahead of a third in the six-furlong Proud Man.

Rounding out the field are maiden-winners In the Chase [post 4, Joel Rosario] for trainer Carlos David and Epitaph [post 2, Junior Alvarado] for conditioner Gary Contessa.

The Futurity is slated as Race 5 on Friday’s eight-race card that also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Waya, in Race 7. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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