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Pletcher sends out three in search of third G3 Comely victory

by Mary Eddy

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by the trio of Life Talk, Scalable and Audacious as he vies for his third win in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Comely, a nine-furlong route for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The triad of talented fillies each put in their final works for the Comely on Sunday going a half-mile over the Belmont Park dirt training track. Life Talk and Scalable breezed together in 48.25 seconds, while Audacious, in company with recent allowance winner Autumn Evening, covered the distance in 49.25.

“All three worked very well, with strong gallop outs,” said Stu Hampson, Pletcher’s New York assistant. “Going into a race like this, we’re happy where we sit. We’ll let them sort themselves out this week and we’ll see what we’ve got. We’re excited to go over there with three live horses.”

Repole Stable’s Life Talk [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche] returns to the scene of her biggest career win when taking the Grade 2 Demoiselle going the Comely distance in December to close out her juvenile campaign. Her season included a third in the Grade 1 Frizette here and a fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park.

This year, the daughter of Gun Runner was off-the-board in her first two starts in the Listed Suncoast in February at Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade 3 Gazelle in April here, but returned to good form last out when a half-length second to stablemate Miss Justify in the Listed Seneca Overnight on September 21 at Churchill Downs.

“Life Talk acts like she’s in really good form right now,” Hampson said. “We’re excited to get her back and hopefully we can get a good result here. She should appreciate everything about this race.”

A $335,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Life Talk is out of the winning Bernardini mare Touchy Feely, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Indian Firewater.

Repole Stable also campaigns Scalable [post 7, Jose Gomez], who arrives from a wide-running sixth behind divisional leader Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Cotillion on September 21 at Parx Racing.

The Speightstown gray seeks her second Grade 3 coup of the year after taking the Monmouth Oaks two starts back on July 27 at its namesake course, grinding out the three-quarter-length score over Grade 2-winner Gun Song. That win came on the heels of another gutsy win traveling 1 1/16 miles in a June optional claiming tilt at Churchill Downs.

“She’s such a cool horse. She tries so hard every single time and she always brings it,” Hampson said. “She’s had an extended appearance in our barn [at Belmont] and we’ve grown fond of her. She’s such a little fighter and she’s a likeable horse. She’s doing well.”

Scalable was a $200,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and boasts an additional graded placing when second in the Grade 2 Chandelier last October at Santa Anita Park. She is out of the Tapit mare Passion Flower, a half-sister to the Pletcher-trained multiple Grade 1-winner Stopchargingmaria.

Bass Stables’ Audacious [post 6, Ruben Silvera] makes her fifth career start on the heels of a pace-pressing runner-up finish in a nine-furlong optional claimer on October 23 at Keeneland. There, she stalked in second through the early stages and pounced to a two-length lead at the stretch call, but could not repel the bid of Neon Icon and was defeated one length.

“She’s a trier. She shows up every time,” Hampson said. “She was a little unlucky last time at Keeneland, and as soon as you have to engage her, she’s fighting back. She’s a horse that goes out there and loves to do her job and puts a lot into her races.”

The daughter of Into Mischief brings a 3-for-4 in-the-money record to her stakes debut as she looks to add to a debut maiden win sprinting seven furlongs in June at Saratoga Race Course and a 1 1/16-mile allowance victory two starts back in September at Laurel Park in her first effort beyond sprint distances. Both wins came versus elder competition.

The $700,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Veracity, whose full-sister Cheery produced dual Grade 1-winner Elate. Her third dam is multiple graded stakes-winner and influential broodmare Wild Applause.

Dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox sends out Alpine Princess [post 3, Manny Franco], who enters on the heels of a dominant victory in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Remington Park Oaks on September 29 at its namesake course. There, she tracked the pace in fourth through the first quarter-mile and improved position at every point of call to coast home a 9 3/4-length winner. The effort, her first off a six-month respite, produced a career and field-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

Campaigned by Full of Run Racing Two and Madaket Stables, the daughter of Classic Empire won the one-mile and 70-yard Untapable last December at Fair Grounds Race Course. She went on to finish fourth in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra in February at Fair Grounds and third when trying Tapeta in the Listed Bourbonette Oaks in March at Turfway Park ahead of her layoff.

The $190,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale boasts a 6-for-8 in-the-money record with $371,810 in earnings.

Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Pretty Ana [post 1, Jose Lezcano] was a narrowly-defeated third last out in the local Grade 2 Mother Goose going this distance on October 26. In her graded debut, the Quality Road bay was bumped at the start and pinched back to last-of-5 10 lengths off the pace, but came with a tremendous turn of foot late to just miss by a neck behind the victorious Tarifa and Gun Song, who were heads apart.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, Pretty Ana is a half-sister to Hall of Famer and top stallion Gun Runner. She began her career with Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen and won 1-of-5 starts before transferring to Brown this summer.

Completing the field are five-time-winner Dorothy’s Dreams [post 2, Luis Rivera, Jr.], who was a close fourth in the Mother Goose last out for trainer Anthony Ferraro; and two-time-winner Just Music [post 4, Eric Cancel] for conditioner Linda Rice.

The Comely is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack 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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