Pluck tops 10-horse field in opening-day Transylvania at Keeneland

Pluck tops 10-horse field in opening-day Transylvania at
Keeneland

Pluck, shown winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, will break from post 10 in the Transylvania (Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos) Team Valor International’s PLUCK (More Than Ready), winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) last November, heads a field of 10 three-year-olds in Friday’s 23rd running of the $100,000 Transylvania (G3), the opening-day feature of Keeneland’s 15-day spring meeting. The Transylvania, run at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, will go as the 9TH race on Friday’s 10-race card with an approximate post time of 5:23 p.m. (ET). First post time on Friday is 1:15 p.m. Trained by Graham Motion, Pluck finished fourth when kicking off his sophomore campaign in a March 12 allowance at Tampa Bay Downs. He’ll regain the services of Garrett Gomez, who was up for the Breeders’ Cup victory at Churchill Downs as well as a triumph in the Summer (Can-G3) at Woodbine but missed the 2011 opener. Pluck will break from the far outside post position under a 123-pound assignment.

Stakes winner ADIRONDACK SUMMER (Thunder Gulch) and AIR SUPPORT (Smart
Strike) will also carry 123 pounds.

Air Support defeated Soldat (War Front) when capturing the Pilgrim S. (G3)
two starts back and will make his 2011 debut in the Transylvania for Shug McGaughey.
He was last seen recording a ninth in the
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Regular rider Rajiv Maragh has the call.

Adirondack Summer, who exits a win in the January 16 Dania Beach S. at
Gulfstream Park, has
captured two-of-three career starts for Christophe Clement, who will be seeking
his second straight Transylvania win following the success of Nordic Truce (Yes
It’s True) in 2010. Alan Garcia will retain the mount.

POWHATAN COUNTY (Fusaichi Pegasus), who concluded his juvenile season with a
runner-up to Soldat in the With Anticipation S. (G3) in early September, figures to attract plenty of support
following a smart victory in his 2011 bow, a March 3 allowance/optional claiming
event at Gulfstream Park.
The George Weaver pupil came back from the six-month layoff with a head score over subsequent Spiral S. (G3) hero Animal Kingdom
(Leroidesanimaux [Brz]), and Powhatan County’s connections were considering next
Saturday’s Blue Grass S. (G1) on Polytrack. The bay colt will be a much shorter price
in the Transylvania.

The Steve Asmussen-trained GREAT MILLS (War Front) invades off a wire-to-wire
score in the March 12 Grindstone S. at Fair Grounds, and STORMY RUSH (Stormy
Atlantic) will make his first appearance since a fourth in the Bourbon S. (G3)
at Keeneland last October. Last-out allowance winners LIL BIT O’FUN (Langfuhr)
and RONIN DAX (Tapit) will return to stakes competition on Friday, and
outsiders MEMEN (Ire) (Verglas [Ire]) and LEGENDARY KING (Brahms) round
out the Transylvania line-up.