Newsdad, Pletcher trio tune up for Blue Grass

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott was all smiles on Sunday morning after Newsdad turned in an impressive work

in advance of Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass at Keeneland.

With exercise rider Rodolphe Brissett aboard, the Arch colt sped six furlongs

in 1:13 on Keeneland's Polytrack, suggesting that he's adapting well to a

synthetic surface after three consecutive starts on turf.

"He worked very well," Mott said of the colt, whose last breeze was at

Gulfstream Park on March 31. "He seems like he's handling the Polytrack just

fine."

Clockers caught Newsdad in splits of :14 1/5, :26 3/5,: 38 3/5, :50 1/5 and

1:01 2/5. He went on to gallop out seven furlongs in 1:25 1/5 and one mile in

1:39 4/5.

Newsdad is coming into the Toyota Blue Grass off a third-place finish in the

Grade 3 Palm Beach on March 12 at Gulfstream. The winner of that race, Joes

Blazing Aaron, and runner-up, Queen'splatekitten, also are expected in the Blue

Grass.

Jesus Castanon, who rode Newsdad in the Palm Beach and has ridden the colt in

three of his four races, will again be aboard the colt in the Blue Grass, Mott

said. Newsdad has one victory, a maiden special weight score at 1 1/8 miles at

Gulfstream on January 28. He has earned $45,794.

Mott's first Blue Grass starter was Taylor's Special, who won the race in

1984. His second came 25 years later with Hold Me Back, who finished second, 1

1/2 lengths behind General Quarters.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has a trio of candidates to give him a third win in the

Blue Grass, and all three worked Sunday morning at Churchill Downs.

Queen'splatekitten, most recently runner-up in the Palm Beach, and Praetereo,

who broke his maiden in his sixth try last time out, each worked a half-mile in

:48 2/5 over a fast track.

Multiple stakes winner Sensational Slam, who captured the Fred "Cappy"

Capossela Stakes in his reappearance, drilled five furlongs in 1:00 1/5.

Sensational Slam and Queen'splatekitten are perfect so far in their limited

experience on a synthetic surface, for both won over Woodbine's Polytrack last

year. Sensational Slam landed the Clarendon and Vandal, a pair of sprints, while

Queen'splatekitten was a good-looking maiden winner going 1 1/16 miles in

December. Praetereo finished fifth in a Keeneland maiden last fall in his only

previous attempt on Polytrack.

In other Blue Grass news, King Congie is scheduled to work at Keeneland

Monday morning for the Blue Grass, likely between 7 and 7:30 a.m. (EDT) with

jockey Rajiv Maragh, up according to Dan Blacker, assistant to trainer Tom

Albertrani. King Congie galloped 1 1/4 miles under Blacker early Sunday morning.

Albertrani, who saddled Arthur's Tale to a runner-up finish in Saturday's Grade

1 Wood Memorial, is scheduled to work another Blue Grass probable starter,

Brilliant Speed, at Palm Meadows on Monday morning.

Crimson China galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Leo Molina as he

continued to gallop up to Saturday's Grade 1 test. Trainer Graham Motion, who

already has Animal Kingdom penciled in for a start in the Grade 1 Kentucky

Derby, picked up another possible Derby starter Saturday when Toby's Corner

rallied to win Aqueduct's Wood Memorial and defeat champion Uncle Mo.

Willcox Inn had the morning off Sunday after working six furlongs in 1:12 2/5

on Saturday morning.

"He is fine this morning and he will go back to the track Monday," trainer

Mike Stidham said.