Sumaya Stable's Malagacy (Shackleford) exited his win in Saturday's GII Rebel S. in fine shape and was en route to trainer Todd Pletcher's South Florida base at Palm Beach Downs Sunday afternoon.
“He came out of his race just great,” confirmed Pletcher assistant trainer Adele Bellinger, who had been impressed by the handsome chestnut all week.
“The only time he stepped out of his 'I'm an old horse' mode and showed a little attitude was on Thursday when we went back to the gate. Other than that, he trained so beautifully and was so laid back,” said Bellinger. “He just galloped along. He ran so well yesterday and we're so proud of him. It was a fun race to watch.”
Malagacy, who was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after his 15-length debut win at Gulfstream in January, is now three-for-three after his two-length win in the Rebel. He is expected to return to Oaklawn for the Apr. 15 GI Arkansas Derby.
Also expected to return for the Arkansas Derby is Rebel runner-up and 112-1 longshot Sonneteer (Midnight Lute). The Calumet Farm homebred is still a maiden, but connections were impressed by his effort Saturday.
“We are definitely proud of our horse and the way he ran,” said Julie Clark, assistant to trainer Keith Desormeaux. “I was talking with [jockey] Rich [Eramia] and he said he's still a little green. He's still a maiden, but he said he did everything right. When Rich asked him to do something, he followed through. He felt like he had a lot of horse under him. [Sonneteer] was a little hesitant down on the rail, but he kept pushing through, and when the horse came to him about a sixteenth out, he pushed on. This was a big step forward for him, a giant step.”
Steve Asmussen trains Rebel third-place finisher Untrapped (Trappe Shot), as well as sixth-place finisher Lookin at Lee (Lookin at Lucky).
“Untrapped ran okay,” Asmussen said Sunday. “He'll need a little more time between races between now and the [GI Kentucky] Derby, so hopefully, he'll respond to that. Obviously, he'll need to find a little more. We're not out of the game, but they need to improve. I'm a little disappointed with Lookin At Lee's race yesterday. I thought he would run sharper because he had trained well.”
While Untrapped is expected to make his next start in the Arkansas Derby, Lookin at Lee may be headed to the Apr. 8 GII Blue Grass S.
“Possibly, we'll just change surfaces with [Lookin at Lee] and go to the Blue Grass,” Asmussen said. “I don't think he's shown his best. We might do that but we'll see how we train out of this race.”
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