Pletcher sends out Salmanazar, Barbarossa in Texas Glitter Stakes

On course to extend his unprecedented streak to 15 consecutive Championship Meet training titles, Todd Pletcher will send out both Salmanazar and Barbarossa for their seasonal debuts in Saturday’s $75,000 Texas Glitter at Gulfstream Park.

The fourth running of the five-furlong Texas Glitter for 3-year-olds attracted a field of eight and shares the 13-race program with the $100,000 Hal’s Hope (G3), which marks the return of multiple Grade 2 winner Irish War Cry.

Starlight Racing’s Salmanazar will be making his first start in 10 months and first on grass, having breezed a half-mile over the surface in 49.25 seconds Feb. 16 at Palm Beach Downs, where Pletcher’s South Florida string is based.

The bay son of 2011 Preakness (G1) winner Shackleford won his debut by 1 ½ lengths in front-running fashion last April at Keeneland, then went to the sidelines after dueling for the lead and fading to seventh in the Tremont Stakes in June at Monmouth Park. Both races were contested at 5 ½ furlongs.

“Based on his maiden win at Keeneland, he’s a pretty quick kind of horse,” Pletcher said. “We were looking for races to bring him back in and there weren’t too many options at a distance that we felt suited him. That’s why we gave him a little breeze on the grass and he seemed to handle it well so we look forward to getting him going.

“We’ll learn a lot more after this race,” he added. “I do think he handled it well enough in his work to suggest that it’s an option, but I think he’s also equally effective on dirt so he might be one that can kind of go either way.”

Barry Schwartz’s Barbarossa will be making his stakes debut in the Texas Glitter. Since finishing well back when debuting on dirt last summer, he hasn’t been worse than second in three tries over the grass. Beaten less than a length first time on turf, he broke his maiden by 8 ½ lengths last fall at Belmont Park and came up a neck short in a 7 ½-furlong allowance last out Dec. 23 at Gulfstream.

“He’s one that just missed when we ran him 5 ½ [furlongs] at Saratoga and he seemed to really excel when we ran him back at seven furlongs, and then he just missed when he ran at 7 ½,” Pletcher said. “We were just kind of looking for options for him. I hope that five [furlongs] is not too short for him. I think in this type of race everybody’s got to get out and get position but it will kind of depend on post position and who gets the best break.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez is named aboard Salmanazar from Post 1, while Barbarossa will break alongside from Post 2 under fellow Hall of Famer Javier Castellano. Both horses will carry 116 pounds.

Kenneth English and Alan Braun’s Wildcat’s Legacy, a stakes winner on dirt, was assigned topwweight of 120 pounds. Trained by Ralph Nicks, the Wildcat Heir colt won each of his first two starts including the 6 ½-furlong Juvenile Turf Sprint in November at Gulfstream Park West, before finishing off the board in his most recent outing, the Inaugural Stakes Dec. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Roddy Harrison’s homebred Clouded Judgement, unraced since breaking his maiden in his fifth start but just the second on grass Nov. 17 at Laurel Park, is entered to make his return in the Texas Glitter for Maryland-based trainer Lacey Gaudet. Winless in three maiden special weight events on dirt to open his career, he was second in his turf debut over Laurel’s world-class turf course in October, four weeks prior to his graduation.

“Jevian Toledo, who had been on him for all his morning workouts and all his races, said he was a different horse on the grass,” Gaudet said. “Edgar Prado worked him the other day and said the same thing. It seems like it’s definitely been a good surface for him.”

Completing the field are Dial One, who broke his maiden on the Gulfstream turf last May for Pletcher and was claimed out of a six-furlong victory over the main track Dec. 7; Reed Kan and Bourbon Currency, first and second, respectively, in a five-furlong turf allowance Dec. 17; and Wesley Ward-trained Shangroyal, unraced since breaking his maiden on the dirt last July at Belmont Park.