Repole’s Grande Returns a Game Winner

G3-Winning 3-Year-Old Incredibolt Returns to Work Tab Saturday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Repole Stable’s Grande launched his comeback in dramatic fashion Saturday at Gulfstream Park, losing the lead to top rival Praetor on the far turn but gaining it back with a final surge in the final 50 yards to kick off his 4-year-old season.

The optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up, on the undercard of the $175,000 Royal Delta (G3) for older fillies and mares, was the first race in 316 days for Grande ($4.80). He covered a one-turn mile in 1:36.13 over a fast main track for his third win – all at Gulfstream – from four career starts.

“He’s always run well,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “All four starts now he’s run well, and he’s a competitive horse. You’re always concerned with a 10-month layoff, but it was a great comeback.”

Grande won each of his first two starts last winter at Gulfstream by five combined lengths before traveling to New York for the Wood Memorial (G2), where he finished second but earned a spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1). After battling foot issues, he was scratched the day before the race by Kentucky state veterinarians.

By two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, Grande had been working steadily since coming to South Florida with 10 timed breezes at Palm Beach Downs. He was unsurprisingly sharp from the gate Saturday, but settled in second racing two wide behind pacesetter Back Em Up.

After the opening quarter-mile went in 24.14 seconds, Grande ran a half in 47.05 to take over the top spot with Praetor, unraced since finishing third in last April’s Lexington (G3), following close behind. Praetor ranged up and wrested the lead away following six furlongs in 1:10.85.

Praetor began to edge clear while racing down the center of the stretch past the eighth pole but Grande, under jockey Rajiv Maragh, dug in determinedly and rallied strongly along the inside to get up by three-quarters of a length.

“What a gutsy comeback. He was under pressure the whole way. I thought at the top of the stretch he was going to finish a good second. It’s good to have him back. He was super game the last part,” Pletcher said. “It surprised me, the last sixteenth, when you could see him resurge. It was fun to watch.”

Pletcher said the connections had not thought beyond Saturday’s race but the $175,000 Ghostzapper (G3) going 1 1/16 miles on Florida Derby Day March 28 could be a possibility.

G3-Winning 3-Year-Old Incredibolt Returns to Work Tab Saturday

Pin Oak Stud’s Grade 3 winner Incredibolt returned to the work tab Saturday for the first time since his head-scratching run in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3), turning in a sharp half-mile breeze at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

Working in company with 3-year-old maiden Albus, Incredibolt was timed in 48.90 seconds over the fast main track, ranking sixth of 59 horses.

“He had zero issues coming out of that debacle in the Holy Bull, never missed a day of training,” trainer Riley Mott said. “He worked lights out this morning with a nice maiden that I like. He was on the bridle and did it the right way. I still think he’s a good horse.”

Incredibolt was making his 3-year-old debut in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull, having captured the Street Sense (G3) at the distance in late October. He was unable to get untracked under jockey Jaime Torres and wound up last in a field of six, beaten 25 1/2 lengths.

“I was thoroughly disappointed, naturally. Hopefully it’s a race we can draw a line through,” Mott said. “The jock said he spun his wheels the entire time; that said, most good horses don’t get beat 25 lengths regardless of whether they like the track or not. So, we really need to rebound for the next one.”

Mott was uncertain where Incredibolt would start back but ruled out Gulfstream’s $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 28.

“There’s a few races up in the air. We wouldn’t come back for the Fountain of Youth, unfortunately,” he said. “We have a plan in mind but we’ll just see how the horse is doing.”

NOTE: Jockey Jose Morelos had a natural hat trick, winning Race 4 with Calypso Moon ($10.80), Race 5 with Silicium ($9) and Race 6 with Project ($5.20) …