Fierceness breezes for Met Mile, leads Pletcher's Saratoga string

Multiple Grade 1 winner Fierceness turned in his final breeze for next Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap when covering a half-mile in company with Tuscan Sky on Friday over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track.

The Met Mile offers an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

The 4-year-old City of Light bay posted his third work since winning the Alysheba (G2) on May 2 at Churchill Downs, covering a half-mile in 49.74 seconds before galloping out in 1:02 3/5, according to NYRA clockers.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said the work was what he was hoping to see from the 2023 champion 2-year-old colt.

“I thought it was great. He’s a very impressive horse to watch breeze, and it seems like he does everything so effortless,” Pletcher commented. “He shipped in, and everything has gone according to plan. We got in three breezes and we’re just trying to keep him in as good of shape as he was going into the Alysheba.”

Bred by co-owner Repole Stable, Fierceness returns to the scene of two memorable victories last summer in the Travers (G1) over subsequent horse of the year Thorpedo Anna and the Jim Dandy (G2) over eventual champion 3-year-old colt Sierra Leone.

In the Met Mile, to be contested out of the Spa’s Wilson chute, Fierceness will meet a stacked field that is likely to include 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic victor White Abarrio, Godolphin Mile (G2) winner Raging Torrent, and the peaking Just a Touch, among others.

One horse Fierceness is doubtful to face in the Met Mile is his stablemate Mindframe, who is most likely heading to the Stephen Foster (G1) on June 28 at Churchill Downs.

The Constitution dark bay also worked on the Oklahoma just moments after Fierceness, covering a half-mile in 50 seconds flat in company with Valentinian. Mindframe was last seen winning the Churchill Downs (G1) at its namesake course on May 3 in a breakthrough victory after finishing a close second to Dornoch in last year’s Belmont Stakes and the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park.

“I thought it was very good also,” Pletcher said of Mindframe’s work. “I’ll get with (owners) Mike (Repole) and St. Elias and we’ll make a final decision, but we’re probably leaning towards the Stephen Foster. He’s a really fun horse to train.”

Pletcher later sent out the pair of Grand Sonata and Bulldoze to work a half-mile in company over the Oklahoma turf as they each target engagements at the Belmont Stakes racing festival.

“They both went really well,” Pletcher said. “They seemed to both get over it nicely. We got a good gallop-out from Grand Sonata, which we were hoping for since he’ll be in the two-mile race.”

Grand Sonata, a course-record winner of the Kentucky Turf Cup (G2) in September at Kentucky Downs, is pointing to the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup (G2) next Friday. Bulldoze, a nine-furlong maiden-winner in March, is targeting the Pennine Ridge (G3) next Saturday.

Other recent workers for Pletcher include dual Grade 1 winner Locked, who on Wednesday posted his first work since an even fourth to Fierceness in the Alysheba. The 4-year-old son of Gun Runner is targeting the Suburban (G2) on July 4 at Saratoga and worked a half-mile over the Oklahoma in 53.53.

On Thursday evening, co-owner Mike Repole took to the social media platform X to poll the racing community on the possibility of starting two-time winner Uncaged in the Belmont Stakes.

“Repole Nation what do you think,” Repole said in the post. “Could be a 6 horse field.”

Uncaged, co-owned by WinStar Farm, was last seen finishing sixth in the Peter Pan (G3) on May 10 at Belmont at the Big A.

Pletcher said Bobby Flay and James Ventura’s Sir Barton-winner Crudo is “not completely ruled out” of the Belmont Stakes.

“I hope to work him tomorrow and make a decision after that,” Pletcher said.