He’s not just front-runner

BALTIMORE – The words “I told you so” never actually came out of Todd Pletcher’s mouth, but the sentiment has lingered nonetheless.

For months, one of the knocks on Pletcher’s trainee Super Saver was that the colt was unable to run his best race without being front and center on the lead.

Though Super Saver’s lone pair of wins prior to May 1 came in gate-to-wire fashion, Pletcher steadfastly maintained the son of Maria’s Mon had more versatility than he was being given credit for.

With the second leg of the Triple Crown now in his sights, Pletcher finds himself recounting over and over how valid his original assessment was.

If a day can make all the difference, one race altered whatever preconceived notion pundits had of Super Saver’s running style.

In the wake of the stalk-and-pounce clinic the bay colt put forth during his 2 1/2 -length win in the Kentucky Derby, the horse previously deemed one-dimensional now heads into today’s 135th Preakness Stakes being hailed as one of the more handy members of the 12-horse field.

While Super Saver set the pace during his maiden triumph last September and his victory in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill in November, the maturing colt showed his arsenal had varied dimensions when ran behind the leaders during the Derby under jockey Calvin Borel before overtaking them around the final turn.

“We always said that about him that if we were ever in a scenario where we had some pace to run at, he would settle,” Pletcher said.

“He did in Arkansas (finishing second in the Arkansas Derby) when Line of David set some fractions and he did it even more so (in the Derby). That’s what makes him dangerous is he doesn’t need other horses to create a trip for him. He creates his own.”

As much as not being at the mercy of others was crucial for Super Saver in the 20-horse scrum of the Kentucky Derby, it could be even more vital during his 13/16-miles tour of Pimlico Race Course.

Where the Derby featured speed horses in Conveyance, Sidney’s Candy and Line of David – who combined to help produce an opening half-mile in :46.16 – the Preakness appears to be lacking a true front-running presence.

If no one else is willing to carve out the early fractions, Borel said he won’t be shy about calling upon his mount’s tactical speed.

“It’s going to be a totally opposite race, I think,” Borel said. “It won’t have the speed in it like it did in the Derby. If somebody wants to go, I think we can let them go and lay right off. If they don’t, we’ll take it to them.”

Impressive as Super Saver has looked both in his Kentucky Derby win and in his training since, he’ll have anything but an easy slate of rivals as he attempts to head into the Belmont Stakes on June 5 with a shot at the Triple Crown.

Champion and three-time Grade I winner Lookin At Lucky is looking for some redemption after finishing sixth as the favorite in the Derby following a troubled trip.

If the handy bay son of Smart Strike can get a clear run under new rider Martin Garcia, trainer Bob Baffert could find himself hoisting the Woodlawn Vase for a fifth time.

“I think the Preakness is the race for the guys that got beat,” said Baffert, who last won the race in 2002 with War Emblem. “It’s sort of like the ‘What if.’ We have a chance at maybe redeeming ourselves.”

The Dale Romans-trained Paddy O’Prado is another who possesses go-with-the-flow ability.

Prior to his third-place effort in the Kentucky Derby where he rallied from 10th, the attractive gray son of El Prado sat just off the pace during his win in the Grade III Palm Beach Stakes on the turf in March and again in his runner-up effort in the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes over the Polytrack at Keeneland in April.

“I think there are four or five that could contest the lead, including both of mine,” said Romans, who will also saddle First Dude in the Preakness.