Pletcher Pair Take Class Test in Comely

Miss Sky Warrior | Coglianese Photo

A pair of lightly raced, but well-regarded Todd Pletcher trainees take on some more established rivals in Friday's GIII Comely S. at the Big A. Cheyenne Stables LLC's Tapella (Tapit), a $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad, has won her last two starts, most recently annexing an Oct. 27 Belmont allowance by open lengths over subsequent seven-length romper Crimson Forest (Stormy Atlantic). Repole Stable's Run and Go (Union Rags), meanwhile, was a debut winner at Gulfstream in January before adding a Saratoga allowance in August. She suffered her first defeat when fourth at odds-on in a Belmont sprint Sept. 29. The most accomplished runner of this bunch is Miss Sky Warrior (First Samurai), who capped a five-race winning streak with a 13-length romp in this venue's GII Gazelle S. in April. Eighth in the GI Kentucky Oaks, she set solid splits before fading to fourth as 7-10 chalk in Belmont's GIII Turnback the Alarm H. Oct. 28. “Everybody was disappointed after her last race, including [rider] Javier [Castellano],” said Al London of owner Arlene's Sun Star Stable. “She has a very long stride and goes very fast, but it looks like she's going a lot slower. She can be deceiving that way. She went the first half of the race in [:45.86] and that was too fast for any horse going that distance. Being fresh like that off a layoff, it even doubled her problem. She's not a nut job, she just goes quick. That's her style and she likes to run.”

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