A narrow loss five months ago, the first time Captain Cook was under the care of trainer Todd Pletcher, was enough to convince the Hall of Fame trainer that the colt deserved another shot in Grade 1 company.
“He seems like a versatile horse. He took a tough beat in the Allen Jerkens,” Pletcher told drf.com recently, referring to the defeat back in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) in August. “He’s run well around two turns, and this is a track that might just carry him along a little bit.”
Yes, the Jerkens was 7 furlongs, and yes, Captain Cook was a distant second to now-retired Barnes in the 7-furlong Perryville Stakes (G3) at Keeneland in October. But recent workouts have the son of Practical Joke set for the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.
Captain Cook, winner of the 7-furlong Wither Stakes (G3) a year ago under trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., then finished fourth in the Wood Memorial (G2), third in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3), and third in the Maxfield Stakes. That’s when owner Vinnie Viola sent the colt to Pletcher, hoping for improvement at longer distances in top-flight races.
A pair of runner-up finishes and five solid workouts at Palm Beach Downs since Dec. 5 under Pletcher, plus a less-than-stellar Pegasus World Cup contenders field, gives Captain Cook an opportunity for a big score. He’s likely to be among the front-runners as he makes his first start at Gulfstream after eight previous races in New York and Kentucky.
Under Pletcher’s care, it’s difficult to leave him out of exotic bets, but stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time since last May may be too much to ask.
Notes: Purchased for $419,000 at the 2024 Keeneland November sale ... Norm Casse was the first trainer for Captain Cook, who ran sixth in his career debut at Churchill Downs ... Dutrow trained the horse for his next five starts, a maiden win at Aqueduct followed by his Withers Stakes win, a fourth in the Wood Memorial, third in the Peter Pan and fourth in the Maxfield Stakes before being move to Pletcher’s barn ... Pletcher has one Pegasus World Cup win, in 2022 with Life is Good.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
