Pletcher Makes Stakes Plans

Life At Ten and Devil May Care, both possible for the Grade 1 Beldame on Super Saturday, October 2, will breeze tomorrow, with trainer Todd Pletcher to later decide whether he will send either contender to the 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares.

“We’ll see how they come out of it,” said Pletcher. “We may end up entering both.”

Winner of the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap in July, Life At Ten finished third in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on August 29 last time out after dueling with Rachel Alexandra for the early lead.

“Physically she came out of the race well,” said Pletcher. “We rode her the way we needed to try to win the race. In retrospect it cost us second place and Rachel Alexandra a chance to win.”

Devil May Care, fourth in the Grade 1 Betfair TVG Alabama on August 21, would be making her first start against older females should she compete in the Beldame.

“She’s run well here,” said Pletcher of Devil May Care, who won the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont in June before going on to capture the Grade 1 Betfair TVG Coaching Club American Oaks in July. “We know she likes the track.”

Pletcher could have representatives in all three graded stakes on Sunday, October 3.

Excited, a half-length winner at Saratoga on August 27 in her lone previous start, is slated to compete in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo, which will provide the winner an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf as part of the “Win and You’re In” Program.

“We were pleased with her last effort,” said Pletcher. “She got held up, but she showed us her gameness.”

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Volcker, a maiden, is under consideration for the Grade 3 Pilgrim, a “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

“We thought Volcker ran a winning race last time,” said Pletcher. “If he runs well in the Pilgrim, we could go to the Breeders’ Cup, but if he doesn’t win, we could also come back in a maiden race.”

Pletcher noted how he won the Pilgrim last year with the maiden Eskendereya, who went on to prevail in this year’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial.

Also scheduled for October 3 is the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap at one-mile on the main track for 3-year-olds and up. Le Grand Cru, winner of the Grade 3 Westchester over the Kelso’s course and distance in May, will carry the torch for the Pletcher barn.