All Pletcher all weekend

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who broke his own seasonal earnings record in 2007 with his horses accumulating more than $28.5 million in purses, went into the weekend four winners short of 2,000. With three entered at Gulfstream on Saturday, three more at Santa Anita, the high-class grass mare Wait a While set to make her seasonal debut in the rescheduled San Gogornio in California on Sunday and half the field for the Busanda at Aqueduct coming from his New York division, Pletcher will likely drive to work on Monday morning either beyond or at least much closer to that career milestone.

Pletcher is represented in New York during the winter by longtime assistant Seth Benzel, who will tighten the girth on Elegance, Sumptuous and La Porta before the Busanda, which is for three-year-old fillies.

Sunday Elegance drop significantly in class as she exits a fourth-place effort in the Grade II Demoiselle, he stakes debut, which came off the heels of 14-length maiden victory at Monmouth Park, finished fourth.

Sumptuous has a good race over Aqueduct’s inner track, having finished second in an entry-level allowance / optional claimer last month behind Vaulcluse, an unbeaten fill by A.P. Indy. La Porta broke her maiden over the inner dirt last month.

While the male two year-olds based on the West Coast left no impression last season except that the group was thin and not particularly talented, the best female of the year emerged on the West Coast before moving east to escape the Polytrack at Del Mar. Indian Blessing in back home and returns to competition on Sunday in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez at Santa Anita. If the Derby preps are underway, this is probably the first Kentucky Oaks prep.


Einstein vs. Curlin? Could happen

Six-year-old Brazilian-bred Einstein left a strong impression in his return to competition Friday at Gulfstream Park after eight months on the sidelines, a one-length, easier than it the margin suggests allowance win at a mile on grass. Returning to the scene of his win in the Grade I Gulfstream Park Turf, Einstein may have earned a berth on dirt in the Grade I Donn Handicap next month.

Trainer Helen Pitts: “It’s a possibility once we see how he comes out of this. This is a very special animal. He got to the lead and wasn’t going to let anyone by. It looks like he did it easily, so we’ll see. He’s always seemed to train very well on the dirt and his race here (on dirt) was phenomenal. The big question will be how tough the Donn comes up.”

There is the chance that Curlin, presumptive Horse of the Year Curlin, who was developed and trained by Pitts until he was sold and sent to Steve Asmussen after his career debut, could use the Donn as a prep for the Dubai World Cup, the path traveled by Invasor, winner of both a year ago.

“If [Curlin] was in there, it would not stop me from racing against him,” said Pitts. “At this point in my career, I have the honor to train a horse as good as Einstein. Steve [Asmussen] has done a tremendous job with Curlin and I’m proud of the time he was in my barn. I will do what I think is right by Einstein.”


One to watch emerges in San Rafael


He has run only on Cushion Track and Tapeta, so it is too early to get a handle on El Gato Malo, but you’ve got to love the name – Bad Cat.

He is unbeaten in three starts after an impressive effort in the San Rafael Saturday at Santa Anita and if this colt’s form and running style translates to dirt, he is a genuine Derby contender. He inhaled the leaders in the stretch after lagging well behind a blistering pace and, though he appeared to be lugging in at the end of a strongly run mile, he is easily the best of his generation we’ve seen on the West Coast.


Aqueduct: Darley filly passes test of class


By Francis LaBelle Jr.

It may come to pass that Saturday’s 33rd running of the $82,200 Affectionately Handicap will be regarded as a significant race in the career of Darley Stable’s Stage Luck.

The 4-year-old daughter of Unbridled’s Song-Golden Ballet, by Moscow Ballet, a $1.6 million purchase at Keeneland in 2005, had won two of three starts before the Affectionately, and in both of those wins, she simply dug in and drew away from the competition.

In the mile and a sixteenth Affectionately, she demonstrated a late kick and a ton of class as she caught front-running Brazilian-bred Aliysa for a neck victory in 1:44.73.

A true test of a horse is when it is asked to overcome a different set of circumstances and still be victorious. The problems that confronted Stage Luck on Saturday were a rough start under jockey Stewart Elliott, as well as Aliysa’s stubbornness on the lead after setting a pace of :23.51; :48.16; 1:12.43 and 1:37.95 on the fast inner dirt track. In fact, inside the sixteenth pole, Stage Luck was third and not a lot of the 3,633 Aqueduct fans gave her much chance. But in the final yards, Stage Luck fired and got up for her third consecutive victory.

“She was kind of just staying once-paced; it just took her a little while to get going,” said Andy Rehm, assistant to trainer Tom Albertrani. “It helped that the one in front of her [Aliysa] was getting a little late, and it worked out for her. She tries – that’s the one thing about this filly. We knew she had talent, and it’s important to get her black type with her pedigree and what they paid for her. Nothing is definite. We’ll train her and Tom is coming back from Florida. He’ll evaluate her.”