Gulfstream Helps Pletcher With His Dilemma

Both The Bloodhorse and Daily Racing Form reported yesterday that Gulfstream Park racing secretary Dan Bork has written a three-year-old overnight stakes race called the Timely Writer for March 12th, the same day as the Tampa Bay Derby. The race will carry a non-graded, $100,000 purse and will travel one-mile around one-turn. The Tampa Bay Derby is a one mile and one sixteenth race that travels around two turns.

Mike Repole, owner of the early Kentucky Derby favourite Uncle Mo, and trainer Todd Pletcher have both said that this newly written race is a definite possibility for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Champion, who would avoid a four-hour trip to Tampa Bay. Here's a quote from Repole in the article on The Bloodhorse's website:

“Gulfstream and Tampa are both terrific racetracks and both races are good options for us. The pros of the Tampa Bay Derby is that it’s graded, has a bigger purse, and we know the race will definitely go. The pros of the Timely Writer is that it’s only a 30-minute commute from Palm Meadows to Gulfstream, whereas Tampa is four hours away, and that it’s a one-turn mile, which might be a good place to start back. The bottom line is that we’re going to do what’s best for the horse.”

Something that may have gone unnoticed, however, is that Gulfstream Park may have helped out Todd Pletcher with a dilemma he was facing over the Tampa Bay Derby. Two Pletcher trainees, Uncle Mo and Brethren, were both looking like they would be facing each other in that race, one that could potentially affect Brethren's graded stakes earnings. Now, with a new race for Uncle Mo, who already has enough graded stakes earnings to start in the Derby, Brethren will not have to face a stiff competitor and could snag enough earnings to get Pletcher another starters at Churchill in May.

Although it may seem that I'm coming off as a conspiracy theorist, I don't mind the decision Gulfstream made. Ultimately, Gulfstream is trying to draw attention to their track, by offering a prep race for horses who's spots in the Derby are, for the most part, secure due to the amount of graded stakes earnings they already have. It's almost like a mini Kentucky Derby that will be run at a shorter distance. I just thought that it was a convenient race to be written for Pletcher, who is already training two horses in the top five of the graded stakes standings and now has an excellent chance to secure a spot for a third horse in Brethren. What do you think of this new development on the Derby trail? Leave your comments below.

Posted in: Triple Crown