Aqueduct: Mentee wins Futurity, qualifies for Breeders’ Cup (2024)

Photo:NYRA / Adam Coglianese / Coglianese Photo

Repole Stable’s Kentucky homebred Mentee put his talents onfull display with a smart, 3 1/2-length win Friday in the Grade 3, $175,000Futurity Stakes, a six-furlong, outer-turf sprint for 2-year-olds at Belmont at theBig A.

In victory, Mentee earned a berth into the Breeders’ CupJuvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 1 at Del Mar as part of the win-and-you’re-in challengeseries.

Click here for Belmont at Aqueduct entries and results.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Mentee became thesecond graded-stakes winner for his dam Nonna Bella. He follows in thefootsteps of his older full brother Fierceness, winner of this year’s Travers(G1) and the Eclipse Award as the 2023 champion 2-year-old. Mentee made histurf debut in the Futurity but looked like a seasoned veteran as he stalked andpounced to victory under Hall of Famer John Velázquez.

Pletcher said a half-mile work Sept. 20 in 49.68 secondsover Saratoga’s Oklahoma turf training track was key in the decision to try theson of City of Light on the grass.

“Some of the City of Lights handle the grass, and we thoughthe had good action that would maybe take to it,” Pletcher said. “We breezed himon it, and it looked like he really enjoyed it. We felt the timing and thedistance of this race suited him well, and it put us in a position to do aboutanything from here. I think a lot of options open up.”

Mentee emerged sharpest of all from post 6 of seven, but itwas Júnior Alvarado-piloted Epitaph who was most eager for command, sprintingclear to mark an opening quarter-mile in 22.38 seconds over the firm footingwith Mentee a half-length back in second.

Approaching the turn Joey Muscles raced four-wide move whileUnder Who’s Rader advanced between him and the rail-skimming Pletcher traineeGate to Wire. Epitaph was game to the inside of Mentee, and Under Who’s Radarspun his wheels in the center of the course after a half-mile in 45.36 seconds.Well-measured Mentee was unleashed at the eighth pole and drew well clear ofthe gutsy pacesetter, crossing the wire first with a final time of 1:08.82.

Gate to Wire, who angled outside Epitaph in the stretch,came on late to collar that foe by a nose for place with Under Who’s Radarrounding out the superfecta. In the Chase, I’m Otter Here and Joey Musclescompleted the finish in that order. Chasing Liberty, who is entered in theIndian Summer on Sunday at Keeneland, was scratched.

Pletcher said he was pleased with the stalking trip Velázquezengineered.

“He drew a favorable post to do that, and it looked like hewas very relaxed,” Pletcher said. “Johnny looked like he had a lot of horse thewhole way, and when he asked him, he responded well."

Velázquez, who has ridden Mentee in each of his threestarts, said the colt’s performance Friday was redemptive after a distant sixthlast out in the Hopeful (G1) sprinting seven furlongs on the dirt Sept. 2 atthe Spa.

“That’s more of what we were expecting out of him,” Velázquezsaid. “He broke pretty good, a little sharp and jumping a little bit the firsttwo jumps, and then I settled him, and he settled nicely. When the horses gotto him on the backstretch, he got a bit strong.I sat against him going tothe quarter-pole and made sure I kept him busy down the lane. Pretty easy,though.”

Although Mentee earned a berth into the five-furlongBreeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, Pletcher said he and owner Mike Repole weremore inclined to stretch him out to one mile for the Juvenile Turf instead.

“I’ll talk to Mike a little bit, but we actually talkedabout it before, and we thought if he ran well, it would be a good bridge tothe mile instead of the five furlongs,” Pletcher said. “We’ll see.”

Pletcher also indicated the Juvenile Turf could be in playfor runner-up Gate to Wire.

“It looked like he just got untracked a little late, but heclosed well once he did,” Pletcher said. “It looked like he was bottled up andmaybe still a little immature. Once he finally got clear, he really closed onwell.”

Mentee banked $96,250 in victory while returning $10.20 on a$2 win ticket. He adds to an impressive debut victory in June over the maintrack at Aqueduct, where he set a course record for five furlongs in 56.97seconds in a half-length score over Colloquial.

Gary Contessa, trainer of third-place finisher Epitaph, saidhis colt will likely appreciate a cutback to five furlongs and potentiallyfirmer footing in the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

“If they’re willing to let him in, I’m going,” Contessa saidof the Breeders’ Cup. “That Del Mar course favors speed a lot more than thisone.”