Pletcher 2-year-old poised for Derby trail

A 2-year-old son of Quality Road, Prime Factor always has been a highly regarded prospect, selling for $900,000 as a yearling. Owned by the partnership of CHC and WinStar Farm, Prime Factor is a long way from earning back his purchase price, but he took a solid first step toward that goal when dominating his debut on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Flashing speed right from the start, Prime Factor vied for the lead through a quarter in 22.27 seconds, then took command through a half in 45.33 and pulled away to complete the six-furlong sprint in 1:10.38. Despite never being asked for his absolute best, Prime Factor won by 8 3/4 lengths with a solid 85 Beyer.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Prime Factor was produced by a Bernardini mare, so he has the pedigree to improve while stretching out around two turns. His future looks bright, and a foray on the Road to the Kentucky Derby is almost definitely on the horizon.

Although best known for his success sprinting on turf — he was a clear-cut winner versus quality competition in the 2019 Green Flash Handicap (G3) over the lawn at Del Mar — Mr Vargas ran out of his skin when transitioning to dirt for a five-furlong allowance race on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

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Overlooked at 5-1 off a pair of uninspiring turf runs during the fall, Mr Vargas came blasting out of the gate under apprentice jockey Jessica Pyfer, blazing the opening quarter in 21.64 before roaring to a five-length lead through a half-mile in 43.89. Thereafter, Mr Vargas stayed on under a light ride to win by four easy lengths in 56.03, not far off the track record of 55.68 set in 2016.

Taking seven months off during the summer and fall clearly worked wonders for Tax.

Winner of the Jim Dandy (G2) and Withers (G3) in 2019, the 4-year-old gelding showed remarkable improvement in Saturday’s Harlan’s Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream, crushing his pursuers in resounding fashion.

Breaking alertly from the rail, Tax raced to the front through fractions of 23.87, 46.96, and 1:10.22, not overly formidable for a 1 1/16-mile race, but hardly an easy lead either. Rounding the far turn he was clearly moving stronger than his six rivals, and down the lane he was barely asked for any run at all while forging clear to score by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:41.15.

This quick demolition of a quality field produced a 105 Beyer, stamping Tax as a serious contender for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) next month at Gulfstream. If he can keep peak form throughout 2021, a lucrative season could be in the offing.

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