Pletcher Has Two for Holy Bull

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire

By Emily Shields for TVG

The road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby continues Saturday at Gulfstream Park, with a field of nine entered in the $200,000 race over 1 1/16 miles. Trainer Todd Pletcher has entered two classy maiden winners, Amount and Prime Factor. Watch and wager on every race from Gulfstream Park live with TVG.

Prime Factor debuted over this track on December 12 in a six-furlong contest, which he won by 8 ¾ lengths. The $900,000 son of Quality Road runs for WinStar Farm and the China Horse Club, and looked to be the real deal in his sprint debut. He is out of a Bernardini mare, which should help with any distance questions, and retains jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Amount cost just $110,000, but the son of Curlin still debuted with a big win over seven furlongs, 5 ¾ lengths clear of the field as a strong favorite. Oritz goes to the stablemate, so this colt picks up Luis Saez. Amount is owned by the Repole Stable and St Elias Stable.

The pair will face some quality Derby hopefuls, such as recent maiden winner Greatest Honour. The son of Tapit is trained by Shug McGaughey, and although it took him four tries to break his maiden, he has never been worse than third and has gotten better with every trip to the post. He picks up Jose Ortiz for this.

Sittin On Go was a Grade 3 winner at Churchill Downs on the 2020 Kentucky Derby undercard. The Dale Romans-trainee broke his maiden first out by more than four lengths at Ellis Park, but has been frustrating since his Iroquois win. He was ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juveile and then sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2), both around this 1 1/16-mile distance. Corey Lanerie will ride.

Second in the local prep for this race, the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, was Papetu. The son of Dialed In runs for Antonio Sano, and is two for five lifetime. Before the January 2 race he was last seen in September running in Grade 2 company at Saratoga.

Willy Boi is unbeaten after taking two straight sprint races here. He will have to stretch out, as he is a son of Uncaptured out of a Yes It’s True mare. Jeff Engler trains, and Junior Alvarado picks up the mount as Lanerie goes to Sittin On Go.

Jirafales broke his maiden in November in his debut, and Awesome Gerry won over this course on debut in July. Tarantino rounds out the field; this will be his dirt debut as he won on the grass at Del Mar, then finished second by a nose in stakes company at Santa Anita. He exits a win on the Gulfstream Park turf December 11.