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Pletcher trainees work at Keeneland

Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out three of his Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders, his Kentucky Oaks (G1) favorite and his Preakness S. (G1) hopeful to work over Keeneland's Polytrack on Sunday.

Jockey Garrett Gomez took a spin around the Lexington, Kentucky, oval aboard Sam F. Davis S. hero ANY GIVEN SATURDAY (Distorted Humor). The dark bay colt worked in company with fellow Pletcher trainee Pleasant Strike (Smart Strike), posting five furlongs in :58 4/5, the second quickest of 32 workers at that distance on the day. His stablemate got the same distance in :59.

"We had a couple of different objectives," Pletcher said referring to Any Given Saturday's work. "We wanted Garrett to get familiar with him. We also wanted to get him to settle a little bit, which Garrett was able to do kind of in the middle part of the breeze. He was able to get (Any Given Saturday) a couple of lengths back, which we wanted. Then the other horse (Pleasant Strike) kind of took off at the top of the stretch, then he (Any Given Saturday) had a little bit of work to do to catch up to him.

"There's fast works that are good and fast works that are bad," Pletcher continued. "To me, this was a good one because it was fast on the end. I hate to see horses go off really fast and then finish tired. I had him in the last quarter in :22 and four, which is pretty good."

Any Given Saturday earned his only stakes win in the Sam F. Davis, going on to run second by a nose in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and third in the Wood Memorial (G1) last out.

Scat Daddy took a spin around Keeneland on Sunday (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) Grade 1 winner CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch), a last-out hero of the Louisiana Derby (G2), breezed five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 under Angel Cordero Jr. He, too, had company for the move, working in tandem with two-time Grade 1 victress and Kentucky Oaks hopeful RAGS TO RICHES (A.P. Indy), who got the same distance in the same time. "It was pretty much textbook," Pletcher commented. "I liked the work a lot. They were both well in hand throughout but did enough to get something out of it and galloped out well. I thought it was a good work." Multiple Grade 1 victor SCAT DADDY (Johannesburg) breezed five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 with Edgar Prado in the saddle. The jockey was in the irons for the colt's last win, the Florida Derby (G1), taking over for John Velazquez, who had piloted the sophomore to victory in the Fountain of Youth S. (G2) in March. Pletcher described Scat Daddy as a "very willing workhorse." "He was just nice and steady throughout, and never left the bridle from the time he left the pole until well after the wire," the conditioner said. "I'm very pleased with the way he's training." Scat Daddy was the only one of Pletcher's three Derby workers on Sunday not to have any company for his stroll around the track.

"I was just afraid to put him in company -- he might go too fast," his trainer explained.

Multiple Grade 2 winner KING OF THE ROXY (Littleexpectations), second by a half-length in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) most recently, breezed a half-mile in :51. Pletcher is expected to bypass the May 5 Kentucky Derby with the Team Valor-owned colt and instead point toward the Preakness on May 19.

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