Pletcher sends out two in Easy Goer

by Sean Morris

Led by Outplay and Sonic Mule, a pair of runners from the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher, the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes for 3-year-olds kicks off the stakes action on a spectacular day of racing on Saturday at Belmont Park, headlined by the 149th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets and featuring five other Grade 1 events, with a total of nine graded stakes on the card.

Owned by Repole Stable, which teamed up with Pletcher to finish second in the 2011 Belmont with Stay Thirsty, Outplay is the more lightly raced of Pletcher's duo but will make his stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile Easy Goer with a two-race win streak intact. After failing to break through the maiden ranks and crack a Beyer Speed Figure of 70 in his first three starts, the bay colt turned heads with an 8 ½-length victory in an off-the-turf maiden race on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Proving his open-lengths score was no fluke, the son of Bernardini returned to the races a month later at Parx Racing and took an optional claimer with a 90 Beyer.

"I definitely think he's maturing," said Pletcher's assistant, Byron Hughes. "We knew he had talent and in his last two starts he's really put it together. He acts like a more professional horse in the mornings and afternoons."

Contrary to Outplay, Sonic Mule enters the Easy Goer off two lackluster efforts: an eighth-place finish in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and most recently an even fifth-place effort in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Prior to the Tampa Bay Derby, his lone start around two turns, the Distorted Humor colt finished third in a strong renewal of the Grade 2 Swale at Gulfstream Park after rattling off three straight victories in South Florida over the winter, including stakes tallies in the Mucho Macho Man and the Buffalo Man.

Despite his uninspiring running line in the Pat Day Mile, there may be some cause for optimism for the Calumet Farm color-bearer as he mustered a small rally down the center of the track on a day that seemed to favor inside speed.

"I think it was a pretty good race," said Hughes. "He's always been a talented horse and Todd's always liked him, so we feel he's earned another try in stakes company."

Sonic Mule drew the rail and will be ridden by Luis Saez, while his stablemate Outplay will enlist the services of Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez and break from post position 9.

Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert, who accomplished that feat in 2015 with American Pharoah, will also be represented in the Easy Goer with California invader West Coast for owners Gary and Mary West. The son of Flatter has never been out of the exacta in four career tries, and is exiting a narrow victory in an optional claimer on May 20 at Santa Anita Park. One start prior, the bay colt made his stakes debut in the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland, and finished second by a head to Senior Investment, who subsequently checked in third in the Preakness.

Though West Coast has raced exclusively at distances of a mile or a mile and a sixteenth, the Easy Goer will mark his first start around one turn. He will be ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith from post 7.

Like Sonic Mule, Local Hero will also seek to bounce back from an off effort in the Pat Day Mile, in which he finished seventh as the 4-1 second choice for trainer Steve Asmussen. Earlier this year, the Hard Spun colt enjoyed a brief stint on the Kentucky Derby trail, finishing third in both the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and Grade 2 Risen Star at the Fair Grounds.

Owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Local Hero will depart from post 5. Asmussen and Ortiz teamed up to win last year's Belmont with Creator, and will look to repeat the feat later in the day with Lookin At Lee.

Lookin At Blessing, sixth last out in the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont; Wicked Macho, a recent debut winner for trainer Mark Casse; Jamminwithbrandon, who finished third in an optional claimer on the Preakness undercard; Tale of Silence, winner of an optional claimer at Belmont in his latest outing; You're to Blame, fourth in the Pat Day Mile; and Perro Rojo, sixth in an allowance race at Keeneland in his most recent start, complete the field.