Grand Sonata (rail) is one of Pletcher’s duo who won the Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Gulfstream Park News & Notes
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The $215,000 Mac Diarmida (G2) for 4-year-olds and up scheduled for 1 3/8 miles on the grass is one of the few graded-stakes to elude Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, winner of an unprecedented 18 consecutive Championship Meet titles from 2004-2021.
Pletcher looks to remedy that Saturday by saddling a pair, 5-year-old Capture the Flag and 6-year-old multimillionaire Grand Sonata. Joseph Allen, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg Limited and Jonathan Poulin’s Capture the Flag will be making his 11th start, seventh for Pletcher and first in a stakes in the Mac Diarmida.
Capture the Flag cuts back after finishing second as the favorite in an optional claiming allowance going 1 ½ miles on the all-weather Tapeta course Feb. 5. John Velazquez, up for that race, returns to ride from Post 3 in a full field of 12.
“He’s a horse that’s always shown promise,” Pletcher said. “We were excited about getting him stretched out last time. We were hoping to do that on the turf. He ended up running pretty well on synthetic, but we’re looking forward to getting him a start going three turns on the turf. [He’s a] big, strong horse and has got a long, galloping stride to him that usually suits these types of races well.”
Whisper Hill Farm homebred Grand Sonata takes a much different resume into the Mac Diarmida. He owns five wins, two in graded stakes, and $2.079 million in purse earnings from 26 starts. He has placed in four other graded-stakes and comes in having run eighth, beaten just four lengths, in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) Jan. 25.
Overall Grand Sonata has two wins from five starts on the Gulfstream turf, also finishing fourth by 1 ½ lengths in the Pegasus Turf prep, the Dec. 28 Fort Lauderdale. Each of his last two races came at 1 1/8 miles.
“He didn’t disgrace himself at all last time. He put in a bit of a late run and we’re happy to get him stretched back out,” Pletcher said. “He’s put together a pretty strong resume, over $2 million in earnings and been just a consistent campaigner. We tried shortening him up a little in the Fort Lauderdale and the Pegasus Turf, but we feel like he’s better suited at a longer distance like we’re getting here.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard Grand Sonata from Post 9.
