Considering Mindframe’s latest “competition,” the interpretation is variable.
From a factual standpoint, the 4-year-old’s most recent appearance was at the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes on August 31 at Saratoga Race Course, where he did not secure either first or second place, marking the only instance of this in his eight-race career.
More precisely, Mindframe did not complete the Jockey Club Gold Cup because of a significant collision soon after the commencement, which resulted in jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. being unseated. Fortunately, neither the jockey nor the horse sustained any major injuries during the unsettling event, in which Mindframe proceeded around the track without a rider until he was apprehended by outriders.
Originally intended as a crucial preparatory event for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 1, it transformed into a concerning uncontrolled run, as well as Mindframe’s concluding “competition” before the World Championships.
Todd Pletcher’s trainee, Midframe, is now scheduled for the Longines Classic at Del Mar. He will be accompanied by his stablemate Fierceness, the victor of last month’s Pacific Classic Stakes and the runner-up in the 2024 Longines Classic for Pletcher and co-owner Mike Repole, with both of those performances occurring at Del Mar.
“Both of them had easy workouts last week, their initial sessions following their respective races,” Pletcher commented.
While it was evident to prepare Fierceness for the Classic, Pletcher assessed his strategies for the multiple Grade 1-winning Mindframe (owned by Repole and Vincent Viola) before opting not to race him prior to the World Championships.
“Despite (the Jockey Club Gold Cup) not being a legitimate race, he still circled the track for a mile and an eighth (following the incident). Considering our objective is to have him at his absolute peak on Classic day, we determined that racing him again would not necessarily achieve that goal,” Pletcher stated.
The JCGC represented Mindframe’s initial defeat of the year, following three consecutive triumphs, including victories in the Stephen Foster Stakes and the Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Ford.
Fierceness, the 2023 champion 2-year-old male, rebounded from a fifth-place finish in the Whitney Stakes by winning the mile-and-a-quarter Pacific Classic on August 30 by 3 ¼ lengths over Journalism, the 3-year-old Preakness Stakes winner.
“I observed that Fierceness managed the journey there exceptionally well. He maintained his weight, and he is currently exhibiting substantial vitality,” Pletcher remarked about the City of Light progeny.
Pletcher mentioned that he intends to continue training both 4-year-olds at Saratoga before transporting them westward during the week of the Breeders’ Cup.
Pletcher also occupies a favorable position for the Breeders’ Cup juvenile dirt races, with Spendthrift Farm’s Hopeful Stakes champion, Ted Noffey, and Spinaway Stakes victor, Tommy Jo. The Into Mischief offspring are programmed to participate next in two-turn, mile-and-a-sixteenth Grade 1 stakes at Keeneland Race Course.
“Those were significant victories for them at Saratoga, and their performances were both remarkable,” Pletcher noted. “I appreciate the concept of bringing them to Keeneland to acquire experience in two-turn races.”
Tommy Jo is scheduled to compete on October 3 in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes, while Ted Noffey is targeting the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on October 4.
“The manner in which he concluded the Hopeful, exhibiting sustained energy during the gallop-out, suggests that he should manage the additional distance effectively,” Pletcher commented regarding Ted Noffey.
