Pletcher's American History, Damavand Work for Juvenile

With each runner already enjoying a win this month at Keeneland—at race levels at different ends of the spectrum—grade 1 winner American History and maiden winner Damavand continued their local path to the Oct. 30 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with main-track works Oct. 23 for trainer Todd Pletcher. With crisp fall temperatures greeting horses, connections, and fans Friday morning in Lexington, Pletcher sent out his six Breeders' Cup hopefuls, all 2-year-olds. They're pre-entered to race in a week on Breeders' Cup Friday at Keeneland. Of the group, American History is the most accomplished to date after rallying from sixth early to win the Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland andearning a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" fees-paid spot in the Juvenile. The day after, Damavand showed enough to punch his ticket to the Juvenile when he edged Belzoni to win a maiden special weight race. While at different class levels, both races were contested at the Juvenile distance of 1 1/16 miles—where Keeneland uses its short stretch finish. With those recent wins under their belts, Pletcher looked on Friday as the two worked together just after 9 a.m. ET, each completing a half-mile in :48 3/5 on the fast track. Damavand began under restraint, and American History started a few lengths behind before engaging him. Both horses flashed another gear in the turn as they matched strides, as American History raced to the outside. Without being asked by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, American History edged forward to finish just ahead of his stablemate at the wire. Velazquez had ridden American History in both of his starts. As a son of Constitution, Pletcher correctly thought stretching out to two turns in the Breeders' Futurity would be a good fit for American History. He'll enter the Juvenile off that win and a pair of works at Keeneland. "It certainly can't hurt to have some experience here," Pletcher said. "We had the option of looking at the Champagne Stakes (G1) (Oct. 3, one-turn mile at Belmont Park) or the Breeders' Futurity, and we felt like he would appreciate the two turns. It turns out he did, and getting a race over the track we think helps also. So we're pretty happy." Bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables, American History is campaigned by WinStar Farm, First Go Racing, and CHC. Pletcher and Velazquez teamed last year to capture the Juvenile with Ted Noffey, giving Pletcher his fifth win overall in the race and third in the past four years. Pletcher was encouraged by American History's strong finish in the Breeders' Futurity. "I was a little concerned at the start because he didn't break well. He kind of brushed the side of the gate, and he didn't get the exact early position that we were hoping for," Pletcher said. "But down the lane, he was picking them up pretty well. He finished up strong. It kind of confirmed what we thought all along that more distance was going to be to his liking. "He's been such a pro with everything he's done since he came in. You can see him getting better and better." Pletcher acknowledged the big jump Damavand is making off his maiden win earlier this month but noted that he beat a well-regarded horse in Godolphin's Belzoni. The Hall of Fame trainer liked that the colt won in his first try at a route. Damavand, by current leading North American sire Not This Time, is campaigned by Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing USA. This is the first time Pletcher has trained for Amo Racing. He also has a maiden 2-year-old colt, Electro, a son of Gun Runner campaigned by Amo Racing and Repole Stable. Pletcher's other 2-year-olds working Friday toward the Breeders' Cup included Juvenile Fillies (G1) hopefuls Badittude and Life Changing , who went in tandem with each completing a half-mile in :48 4/5. Repole Stable campaigns both fillies. Badittude worked outside her stablemate during the 7:30 a.m. ET timeslot. Life Changing rolled to a 7-length victory on debut in a 6-furlong maiden special weight race Aug. 1 at Saratoga Race Course. After an off-the-board performance in the Spinaway Stakes (G1), the daughter of Life Is Good led into the stretch of the White Clay Creek Stakes Oct. 3 at Delaware Park before finishing second on the muddy track. Badittude, a daughter of Uncle Mo, will enter the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile Fillies as a maiden, but she just missed victory after leading into the stretch of her previous start, a one-mile maiden special weight race Oct. 7 at Belmont Park, before finishing a close second. Pletcher's two hopefuls for the Juvenile Turf, Bold Leadership and Liam's Law, each completed four furlongs in :49 2/5; also just after 9:30 a.m. Already familiar foes on the track, Liam's Law worked outside of Bold Leadership. Repole Stable and St Elias Stables' Bold Leadership is a maiden but will enter off back-to-back runner-up finishes in graded races on the turf: the With Anticipation Stakes (G3T) Sept. 5 at Saratoga and the Bourbon Stakes (G2T) Oct. 4 at Keeneland. Robert and Lawana Low's Liam's Law has trained up to the Breeders' Cup since winning the With Anticipation.