ELMONT, NY—Owner Marc Keller and trainer Bobby Ribaudo will look forward to the return of graded stakes placed stakes-winner Pulsate sometime in June after a winter away from the races.
Pulsate, a 6-year-old son of Speightstown, put together a productive 2021 campaign that was topped by a stakes victory in the Lucky Coin in September at Saratoga Race Course. Pulsate continued a run of good form earning place honors by close margins in three consecutive stakes outings, including a runner-up effort in October in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational.
Ribaudo praised the tenacity Pulsate showed in winning the Lucky Coin after he was forced to make a start on dirt when the turf allowance he was set for did not fill.
“We got to Saratoga last year and the three-other-than didn’t go, so I had to run him on the dirt because he needed to run,” said Ribaudo. “He finished fourth that day, but it helped him win the Lucky Coin.”
The chestnut wintered at the farm of Dr. Patty Hogan in New Jersey before returning to training at the beginning of April. He has since recorded three works over Belmont’s dirt training track, most recently breezing an easy half-mile in 50.50 seconds on May 2.
Ribaudo said Pulsate is doing better than ever in his training.
“He’s fully matured,” said Ribaudo. “He’s had issues in the past, but now he’s as sound as he’s ever been and I can train him better. Maturity has helped him, and I think that goes for Speightstowns in particular. He’s a good example of it. He’s a character.”
Ribaudo is hopeful a softer spot than the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur Invitational on June 11 will come up for Pulsate’s seasonal debut.
“He’s on schedule to be ready by mid-June,” said Ribaudo. “We’re trying to get into an allowance race sometime then and get him ready for Saratoga. The only thing that came up right now is the Jaipur, but that’s a Grade 1 and that would be sending him to the lions too soon. We’re hoping that something will come up.”
Out of the multiple graded stakes placed Kitten’s Joy mare Celestial Kitten, Pulsate boasts a consistent record of 20-4-7-2 and earnings of $397,655. He was purchased for $280,000 out of the 2018 Ocala Breeders’ Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
Stakes-placed Daunt will make his return for Ribaudo and Keller in Race 9 on Thursday at Belmont, an optional claimer for 3-year-olds and upward going 1 1/16 miles over the Widener turf.
A dark bay son of Nyquist, Daunt broke his maiden at second asking going 1 1/16 miles in September and was last seen finishing a competitive third in the $100,000 Awad on November 5 at the same distance. Daunt spent some time at Niall Brennan Stables’ training center in Florida earlier this year before returning to Ribaudo’s Belmont barn in April.
“He broke his maiden last year and was third in the stake and then we put him away,” Ribaudo said. “This allowance suits him perfect, but everybody else in the race ran all winter and he’s the only horse coming off the layoff. But he’s doing great.”
Daunt will break from post 12 with Trevor McCarthy in the irons.
NYRA Press Office
