Renegade, Powershift work at Saratoga with eye towards G1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets

• Renegade, Powershift work at Saratoga with eye towards G1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets
• Talk to Me Jimmy returns to work tab
• Bronze Bullet and Itza Lock try $150K Paradise Creek
• Lovely Grey back to turf at Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sent out the pair of Grade 1 Arkansas Derby-winner Renegade and impressive last-out maiden winner Powershift to work in company Thursday over Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma dirt training track, the pair covering a half-mile in 49 and 4/5 seconds according to The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) clockers.

Renegade, who was last seen finishing an admirable second to Golden Tempo in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, breezed to the outside of Powershift, the latter passing the wire about a half-length in front of his workmate. It was the first work back for both colts since their respective efforts on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

“I thought it was very good work for Renegade,” Pletcher said. “He’s a steady work horse and he recovered really quickly and didn’t seem to be fatigued at all from it, so I’m happy with it. Powershift is a good work horse, and they’ve been [work] companions quite a bit. They make good mates, and I thought they both went well.”

Both Renegade and Powershift are now contenders for the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, a 10-furlong test for sophomores slated for Saturday, June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.

Highlighted by the 158th edition of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will include 10 Grade 1 races among 18 graded stakes across five days of world class competition. For more information and to buy tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont-stakes/.

Renegade has been targeting the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Betssince his effort in the Kentucky Derby, and Pletcher said shortly after the work that Powershift may join him in the third jewel of the Triple Crown after impressing in both his 2 3/4-length maiden win facing elders on the Derby undercard and in the work.

“I’ve got to talk to Mike [Repole], but we are considering the Belmont,” Pletcher said. “We’ve always thought a lot of him and I think they compliment each other’s racing styles. It’s in play.”

Repole Stable’s Powershift, a son of Constitution, finished a three-quarter length second on debut in February to next-out Grade 2 Louisiana Derby-winner and Belmont Stakes aspirant Emerging Market. He followed with a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby in March, but rebounded strongly with his maiden-breaking effort with a stalk-and-pounce trip around 1 1/16-miles under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Renegade, owned by Repole with Robert and Lawana Low, was an emphatic winner of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 28 at Oaklawn Park, and drew the rail in the 18-horse Kentucky Derby, where he was slammed at the start and traveled in 16th at the three-quarters call. He was bumped again in the stretch as he went wide and reeled in Ocelli in the final sixteenth but was caught late with Golden Tempo sticking his neck in front at the wire.

“He’s a brave horse and a lot of horses might not have rebounded and run as well as he did considering all the bumping around he took early,” Pletcher said. “I thought he ran a very courageous race. He was a little tired afterwards, which you would expect, but it seems like his energy level is back where we want it now.”

As for what Pletcher would like to see from Powershift in the coming weeks to firm up Belmont plans, the veteran conditioner said he hopes for much of the same from the talented dark bay.

“We just want to see another breeze like he had today. He carries good condition, and it seems he bounced out of the Churchill race really well,” Pletcher said. “It’s kind of the trend of American racing now – lighter-raced horses running in bigger races.”

Pletcher is expected to have a strong hand during the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from June 3-7 at Saratoga, including in the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, where he will send out Centennial Farms’ Grade 1-winner Antiquarian off a successful seasonal debut in the Grade 3 Westchester on May 3 at Belmont at the Big A.

“He’s doing well,” he said. “He’s the same as always – a great horse to train who goes out there and does his job every day.”

Repole Stable, Spendthrift Farm, Big Easy Racing, Titletown Racing, Winners Win, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson’s Disruptor remains possible to join Antiquarian in the Met Mile off a runner-up effort to T O Elvis in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day. The son of Gun Runner stayed at Churchill following his effort and is expected to ship to Saratoga in the next day or two, with an eye on returning to the work tab sometime next week.

“[The Met Mile] is possible,” Pletcher said. “We’ll see how quickly he settles in and we’ve got really nothing etched in stone yet.”

On Wednesday at Saratoga, Pletcher sent out Repole Stable’s Be You to work a solo half-mile in 49.25 seconds over the Oklahoma in his first move since a fifth in the Listed Knicks Go Overnight on Derby Day at Churchill. The 5-year-old Curlin gelding won the Listed Toboggan in February at Aqueduct Racetrack, and was third in the Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets on April 4.

“I thought it was good, just kind of a maintenance half by himself,” Pletcher said. “He looked well. He tries hard every time he runs.”

Pletcher has circled the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3, $400,000 True North on June 6 Belmont Stakes Day as the next likely target for Be You.

Pletcher also noted that Repole Stable’s Grade 3-winner Grande, sixth in the Grade 2 Alysheba last out on May 1 at Churchill, is eyeing the Grade 3 Salvator Mile on June 13 at Monmouth Park.

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Talk to Me Jimmy returns to work tab

SEI Thoroughbreds, Michael Imperio and trainer Rudy Rodriguez’s New York-bred Talk to Me Jimmy breezed a half-mile in 49.80 seconds in company with Quick Power Nap on Thursday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Talk to Me Jimmy completed his first work back since a pacesetting two-length second to Growth Equity in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 9 at Belmont at the Big A. That race is the traditional local prep for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course, which was mentioned post-race as a possible next target for Talk to Me Jimmy as well as the seven-furlong state-bred Mike Lee on June 3 at the Spa.

“No plan yet right now,” Rodriguez said. “I saw the rain coming. I tried to avoid the rain, that’s pretty much why we worked today. He went with a little bit of company, tried to get his mind into the bridle a bit. He went nice. He went nice and easy.”

Rodriguez said no next race decisions have been made yet.

“Everything is open, I’ve got to discuss with the owners and see what we look like,” Rodriguez said. “I’m just trying to go day-by-day. Everything is open right now, some of the owners were traveling, I think they are coming back today, so I’ll talk to them this week and we’ll take it from there.”

Talk to Me Jimmy dominated the nine-furlong Listed Withers by 11 lengths in February at Aqueduct Racetrack and earned a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure last out. He was bred in the Empire State by Majestic View Farms, Intl., and is out of the 10-time winning Trippi mare Prairie Trip.

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Bronze Bullet and Itza Lock try $150K Paradise Creek

Trainer Jose D’Angelo has the duo of stakes-placed Bronze Bullet and two-time winner Itza Lock entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Paradise Creek, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A.

Three Diamonds Farm’s Bronze Bullet cuts back in distance from a three-length fourth in the one-mile English Channel on May 2 at Gulfstream Park. The Leinster chestnut landed third in his three other starts this year, in allowance-level tilts ranging from 5 1/2 furlongs to one mile there.

Bronze Bullet capped his 2-year-old campaign crossing the wire in a dead-heat for first with returning rival Glorious Boy in the one-mile and 70-yard Listed Pulpit in November over the Gulfstream all-weather surface. However, Bronze Bullet was disqualified to second due to drifting in during the stretch and bumping Glorious Boy.

“He’s doing very good. He was unlucky in Florida when he got DQ-ed in the stakes,” D’Angelo said. “I think that he is doing very well, and the six furlongs could be his perfect distance. The mile is too long for him. He needs just a little bit less distance. He is a very nice horse, always in the money and trying hard.”

Bronze Bullet added blinkers when third three starts back in a Florida-bred allowance going one-mile in March at Gulfstream.

"Definitely needed the blinkers,” D’Angelo said. “He would get a little loose when he felt by himself, so blinkers are always better on him.”

Fugget About It Racing Stables, Twin Sports Racing and Cypresshead Racing’s Itza Lock closed from last-of-11 at odds of 42-1 to land a five-length fourth in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Palisades last out on April 19 at Keeneland.

“He was closing very hard,” said D’Angelo. “He is very different than Bronze Bullet. He actually needs more ground than five furlongs, I think six furlongs will be perfect for him, too. If he has a strong pace, he will close hard 100 percent.”

D’Angelo had a massive 2025 with sprinters, the filly Shisospicy winning Champion Female Sprinter after beating males in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and Bentornato was a finalist for Champion Male Sprinter after a win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

D’Angelo has Bentornato pointed to the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 True North on June 6 Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course, but said Shisospicy most likely won’t be ready for the Grade 1 Jaipur that same day.

“I think ‘Shi’ is not going to be ready. She got sick after her last race, we are giving her the right time for recovery, but Bentornato is running in the True North,” D’Angelo said. “It was just bad timing for her, not ready for this race.”

D’Angelo noted that other possibles for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are Twirling Queen [Grade 2 Intercontinental], Vincey Girl [Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses presented by Boldyn Networks] and Alpenglow [Grade 3 Soaring Softly].

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Lovely Grey back to turf at Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

Go Go Greys Stable’s Lovely Grey exited her Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks try in good order and will now look for a return to turf during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.

Trainer Kelsey Danner said the Vekoma grey is nominated to the Grade 2, $300,000 Wonder Again presented by Shift4, a 1 1/16-mile turf route for sophomore fillies on June 5 but will also come under consideration for a turf allowance on Belmont Stakes Day June 6.

Lovely Grey has posted an 8-1-2-1 ledger for purse earnings of $163,668 that included a strong winter campaign at Turfway Park where she completed the exacta in both the Cincinnati Trophy and Listed Bourbonette Oaks. She landed off-the-board in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks last out on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Lovely Grey worked back a half-mile in 48.20 seconds May 16 over the Turfway Park synthetic.

"Just draw a line through it,” Danner said of the Oaks effort. “She came out of the race in good order. She obviously runs well on the synthetic as well. A summer campaign on the grass is what we're aiming for."

Lovely Grey, who graduated at second asking in August over turf at Colonial Downs, is out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Knightwithputnam – a half-sister to Grade 3 turf-winner Neversaidiwassweet and multiple Listed stakes-placed turfer Ainsley.

NBS Stable’s Ground Support, last seen finishing a 1 1/4-length third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in October at Del Mar, could make her return in the Listed Tepin on June 27 at Churchill Downs.

The Army Mule dark bay, with regular pilot Adam Beschizza up, graduated in August at Kentucky Downs at odds of 100-1 and proved the result was no fluke with a frontrunning two length score in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on October 4 at Belmont at the Big A at just 12-1.

Ground Support has worked extensively over the Turfway Park synthetic for her return, including a half-mile in 48 flat Wednesday.

“She's a really nice filly. She's gotten really big and looks great,” Danner said. “She's really matured. I'm looking forward to getting her back - Kentucky Downs would be the [long-term] target.

"She's a very tough filly,” Danner added. “She gives one hundred percent each time. I'm looking forward to having her back at the races.”

Danner noted she’s hoping to have a strong contingent of horses at the Saratoga summer meet.

“I have a lot of grass horses, and you have a lot of marathon grass races there. I also have a handful of New York-breds. I happened to buy some as yearlings last year,” Danner said.

Danner is planning an extended stay in New York at Belmont Park for the fall and winter to take advantage of newly-installed Tapeta surface as well as potentially participate in the Empire Trillium Series.

“I was planning on coming to New York anyway because of the Tapeta, so I tried to buy a few New York-breds along the way. I have three Mind Controls,” Danner said. “My plan is to come for Saratoga and then stay.”

In March, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Woodbine Entertainment announced the Empire Trillium Series, a 14-race program of stakes races restricted to horses foaled in New York or Canada worth $3.2 million in total purses.

The Empire Trillium Series will begin at the new and reimagined Belmont Park with eight stakes to be contested between December 2026 and February 2027 on the one-mile Tapeta course.

For more information on the Empire Trillium Series, visit http://nyra.com/emptri.