Comedero and Right One are the only two graded stakes winners in the $175,000 Commonwealth Stakes (gr. II), but the Polytrack form of Bergerac and Plutonium also make them factors in an evenly-matched field of seven April 14 at Keeneland.
The seven-furlong Commonwealth, race 9, is the second of four graded stakes on Keeneland’s Saturday program headlined by the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I). Post time is scheduled for 5:13 p.m. EDT.
Peter Redekop’s Comedero has won 11 of 18 starts in his career, including the grade III Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, but all of his starts have come on dirt.
Trainer Michael Stidham has worked the 5-year-old son of Posse twice at Keeneland leading up to the Commonwealth. The bay gelding enters off a victory in the Feb. 25 Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes at Oaklawn Park, a sprint restricted to Arkansas breds. James Graham picks up the mount.
Ghislaine Head’s Right One collected his lone graded win in the Jaipur (gr. IIIT) on the Belmont Park turf last summer. The French-bred gelding , who made all seven of his starts in 2011 on turf, does not have a try over the synthetics since arriving in the United States last year but does have a win on an all-weather surface at Deauville in 2010.
Trained by Christophe Clement, Right One was third by a neck to Turallure in the Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) last fall and ended his 2011 campaign with another close third in the Pay the Butler Stakes on the Aqueduct Racetrack turf in November. This will be his season debut. Garrett Gomez will ride.
Diane Garland and Sondra Mayne’s Plutonium finished third in a two-turn optional claimer at Keeneland last fall, but it is his 8 1/4-length romp and 103 Bris speed number in the Feb. 18 Dust Commander on the Turfway Park Polytrack that looks best on paper. The son of Monarchos was trained by Ron Brown in that front-running score, and is now in the barn of Dale Romans.
Plutonium has recorded a 7-3-2 mark from 25 lifetime starts. Kent Desormeaux has the call.
Bergerac was claimed out of his last race, a second-place finish Feb. 11 on the Gulfstream turf, for $80,000 by Paul Pompa Jr. Previously trained by James Baker, he will make his first start for Chad Brown. The 5-year-old son of Rahy won his lone start at Keeneland, that coming last fall in an optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
Javier Castellano will have the mount on Bergerac, who was fifth in the River City Handicap (gr. IIIT) last November at Churchill Downs in his lone graded stakes try.
