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Master commands Meadowlands as Pletcher ties stakes record Marie D. and Aaron U. Jones' MASTER COMMAND (A.P. Indy) posted a wire-to-wire victory in Friday night's $499,000 Meadowlands Breeders' Cup S. (G2), presenting trainer Todd Pletcher with a record-tying 92nd stakes win this year. Fittingly, the mark was first set in 1987 by Pletcher's former mentor, Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. "It's a great milestone," Pletcher said. "It was a record I didn't think anyone could get close to it." Master Command broke alertly beneath John Velazquez and carved out a measured pace of :24, :47, 1:10 and 1:34 1/5, with Wild Desert (Wild Rush) just a half-length back in second. When Wild Desert turned up the pressure on the leader, Master Command was up to the challenge and edged clear to score by 1 1/4 lengths at the wire, stopping the teletimer in 1:46 1/5 for 1 1/8 miles on the Meadowlands' fast track. The chestnut returned $6.80, $4 and $3.60 as the nearly 5-2 second choice. "This horse has always run his best when he gets in the race early," Pletcher explained. "We wanted him to be forwardly placed, and it worked out beautifully." "We definitely wanted to come out of there running and go into that first turn and make sure we had good position," Velazquez agreed. "We inherited the lead going that slow (through the first quarter). It was pretty easy from then on. He was giving me everything I asked from him, and he was giving me more. He usually gives a good turn of foot down the lane, and he did it tonight." The 4-1 Wild Desert paid $5.80 and $4.60 while finishing much the best of the rest, 7 1/4 lengths ahead of Awesome Twist (Awesome Again), who gave back $4.60 to show at 7-2. The exacta was worth $39.60, and the $1 trifecta totaled $68.90. With the 6-1 Reverberate (Thunder Gulch) in fourth, the 3-6-1-2 superfecta ($1) yielded $519.50. Park Avenue Ball (Citidancer), the 2-1 favorite, was shuffled back shortly after the start and wound up fifth, followed by Jersey Peach (Forest Wildcat) and We Can Seek (Chi) (Seeker's Reward). With the $300,000 winner's prize, Master Command more than doubled his earnings to $512,420 while advancing his record to 11-5-2-2. This was his second stakes score, having landed the William Donald Schaefer H. (G3) at Pimlico in May. The four-year-old was coming off a close third in the Philip H. Iselin Breeders' Cup H. (G3) at Monmouth Park. Bred in Pennsylvania by Brushwood Stable, the winner was purchased for $650,000 at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. Master Command is out of the winning Lord at War (Arg) mare Lady Lochinvar, who has also produced this year's Spinaway S. (G1) third X Star (Pulpit) as well as a 2006 weanling filly by Pulpit. Lady Lochinvar is herself a full sister to Grade 1 queen La Gueriere, who is the dam of Grade 2 hero Lasting Approval (With Approval), and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Al Mamoon (Believe It), Grade 3 victor Lost Soldier (Danzig) and 1995 Austrian highweight Born Wild (Wild Again). The incomparable Allez France (*Sea Bird), one of the all-time greats of the French turf, hails from this same branch of the *La Troienne family. Pletcher left the door open for a possible tilt at the November 4 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). "We'll talk to the Joneses and see," the horseman said. "We weren't using this race as a Breeders' Cup prep. He sure ran well, so we're pleased with that. "I'll savor this one for the moment."
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