Coglianese Photo
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Todd Pletcher has a busy Saturday planned at Del Mar.
The Hall of Fame trainer will saddle 2024 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) hero Fierceness, 2025 Pegasus World Cup (G1) runner-up Locked, Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) winner Mindframe, and Antiquarian, who launched his Grade 1-winning 2025 campaign with a Gulfstream allowance triumph, for starts in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Meanwhile at Gulfstream Park, the 17-time Championship Meet training titlist will be well represented in the $75,000 Armed Forces, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds that will co-headline Saturday’s program with the $75,000 Showing Up, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds.
Repole Stable and Newtown Anner Stud Farm’s Teleport and Harrell Ventures Inc.’s Sunrise will provide Pletcher with a double threat in the Armed Forces, which drew a well-connected field of eight juveniles.
Teleport, the 8-5 morning-line favorite, is coming off an off-the-board finish at Aqueduct in the Oct. 3 Pilgrim (G2), in which he finished just four lengths behind undefeated Bottas, who is entered in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Del Mar. In his Aug. 17 debut at Saratoga, the Irish-bred son of Lope de Vega finished second but was placed first after bumping with disqualified stablemate Scope.
Emisael Jaramillo has the mount on Teleport, who will be equipped with blinkers for the first time.
Sunrise, who will also wear blinkers for the first time, ran into traffic in a seventh-place finish in the Sept. 27 Laurel Futurity last time out. The son of Karakontie graduated in his second career start Aug. 31 at Saratoga, where he prevailed by a head after dueling throughout a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight.
Edgard Zayas has the call.
Pletcher will not be the only trainer of an Armed Forces entrant to be at Del Mar Saturday.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, who will also be at Del Mar to saddle Nitrogen, the Ginger Brew winner during the Championship Meet, for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), will be represented in the Armed Forces by BG Stables’ Behold the King, who graduated last time out at Aqueduct.
Trainer Jose D’Angelo, who has entered last-out Gulfstream maiden winner Skipping Stars in the Armed Forces, will saddle Shisospicy, a multiple graded-stakes winner and two-time winner at Gulfstream, for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) and Bentornato, a three-time stakes winner at Gulfstream, for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), in which he finished second last year.
Trainer Patrick Biancone, who will be represented in the Armed Forces by maiden Thunder Zeus, will be at Del Mar Friday to saddle Lennilu, a three-time stakes winner at Gulfstream and Group 2 stakes-placed at Royal Ascot, for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1).
Stonehedge LLC’s Garretts On the Go, who graduated last time out while making his turf debut in his fourth start in a $35,000 maiden claimer; Edgar A Coto’s My Rich Uncle, who won on debut Aug. 23 in a $35,000 maiden claimer on turf; and Arindel’s Chalky White, who graduated under a $75,000 claiming tag in an off-the-turf maiden at Saratoga; round out the field.
