Florida-bred Reminder Second
BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—Repole Stable’s Grade 2-placed Noted, back on turf following a disappointing effort in the Grade 1 Fanduel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by the TAA, found running room late and held off fast-closing Florida-bred Reminder to win Saturday’s $100,000 Pulpit by a neck at Gulfstream Park.
The seven-and-a-half-furlong Pulpit for 2-year-olds anchored an 11-race program as a co-headliner with the $100,000 Wait a While for 2-year-old fillies—the first two stakes on Gulfstream’s brand-new turf course.
Noted, beaten a nose by winner Can Group in the Grade 2 Castle & Key Bourbon (G2) at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the Keeneland turf on Oct. 8 in his last try on grass, gave jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. a sweep of Saturday’s stakes following Ozara’s victory in the Wait a While. It was the second straight Pulpit win for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and third overall after Ari Gold (2022) and Tapwrit (2016).
Noted paid $4.40 to win.
“He had to work out a trip. I was a little worried at the eighth pole. It still looked like he was looking for room but once he got a seam to run at,he quickened nicely,” Pletcher said. “The only thing we wanted to be mindful of is it was seven-and-a-half [furlongs] and we didn’t want to leave him with too much to do.”
Florida-bred Prevent, breaking from the rail, was pressed on the lead by fellow longshot Tocayo through a quarter-mile in :22.90 and a half in :45.91. Ortiz settled Noted, who began outside all but two of his nine rivals, in seventh along the rail, and still found himself blocked behind horses after six furlongs went in 1:09.36.
Palm Tree was third followed by Florida-bred General Ledger in fourth. Double Your Money, Florida-bred Prevent, Ship to Shore, Tocayo, Summer Storm Stric and Liam’s Journey completed the order of finish.
“It felt like they were running,” Ortiz said. “I had to try to stay close. I had good position. At the three-eighths to the quarter pole, I waited a little longer. But when I came out of there and asked my horse to go, he responded very well. He was ready.”
Ortiz tipped outside once straightened for home and then had to swing around Palm Tree inside the eighth pole to find a seam, then closed stoutly down the center of the track as Reminder, racing for the first time on turf after a win and four thirds on Gulfstream’s all-weather synthetic course, made his bid on the far outside.
Noted completed the distance in 1:27.30 over the firm course and now has two wins and two seconds in five tries on the grass. Reminder was a head in front of Palm Tree in third, with another half-length back to General Ledger in fourth.
In his other two races Noted, by 2014 Holy Bull (G3)-winner Cairo Prince, won the Aug. 26 Sapling at Monmouth Park over Dornoch, a full brother to Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve-winner Mage that won the Grade 2 Remsen last out, and was last of ninth in the Juvenile behind Pletcher-trained stablemate Fierceness.
Bred in Florida by Courtney Meagher, runner-up Reminder is owned by Tami Bobo and trained by Jose D’Angelo.
