LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -Todd Pletcher gave Advice some time off after a disappointing 2-year-old campaign last fall, thinking his talented but immature colt needed a break to get through some growing pains.
Consider Advice all grown up, just in time for the Kentucky Derby.
Advice roared past heavy favorite Square Eddie to take the $300,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland and earn a shot at next month's Run for the Roses.
``He's a horse that's shown a lot of ability,'' said Pletcher, who watched the race from Florida. ``We were just hoping he would put it all together and obviously he's working in that direction. I still don't think we've seen the best of him.''
That's heady praise after Advice put together a masterful move in the stretch, surging by Square Eddie then holding off Conservative by a length to pick up his first win as a 3-year-old. Advice, with Garrett Gomez up, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.33 and paid $33.60, $15 and $7.80.
Pletcher is certain Advice has the toughness to navigate the 1 1/4 mile Derby, but he and owners WinStar Farm will wait to decide whether to send him to Churchill Downs.
``I think we'll take it a step at a time,'' said WinStar Farm president Doug Cauthen. ``We were just hopeful that we could run well here. We'll cross that bridge (on Sunday).''
Cauthen told reporters to ``talk to Todd'' about the Derby, and Pletcher has little doubt Advice can handle the short turnaround.
``The one thing we recognized about this horse from Day One is that he never gets tired,'' Pletcher said. ``He's a high-energy horse. I think the two-week (layoff) is OK for him and he's got a lot of stamina. We're not going to rule anything out.''
Square Eddie already has a spot in the Derby after a solid 2-year-old campaign that included a win in the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland last fall. That race stamped him as an early favorite for this year's Derby, but a shin injury that popped up in February knocked him off the Derby trail.
Trainer Doug O'Neill and owner J. Paul Reddam weren't looking for a win in his return, just a solid effort. They got it after Square Eddie recovered from the poor start to take the lead after a remarkable surge that pushed him from ninth to first in seconds.
It wasn't enough to hold off Advice, but it was probably enough to put Square Eddie in the Derby if he looks healthy on Sunday morning.
``He ran a dynamite race,'' O'Neill said. ``He got a little tired, but that's not unexpected.''
The win was revenge of sorts for Advice, a distant ninth to Square Eddie in the Breeders' Futurity. Pletcher gave him some time off after the race, but he'd hardly been spectacular in his first two races at 3, finishing third in an allowance race at Santa Anita in February then coming in fifth in the Sunland Derby at Sunland Park in New Mexico last month.
Pletcher and Cauthen never gave up hope, figuring Advice just needed a little time and a lot of TLC.
``There wasn't anything really wrong with him, he just got a little jammed up,'' Cauthen said. ``He needed some time. We knew he could run.''
If Advice heads to Churchill, however, he could take a spot away from WinStar stablemate Mr. Hot Stuff, who is currently on the Derby bubble.
If both horses make the field, that will give WinStar three starters in the Run for the Roses. The farm also owns Lane's End winner Hold Me Back.
``We're trying to get 20 starters every year, that's our goal,'' Cauthen said with a laugh.
Advice would also be the second Derby starter this year for Pletcher, who will saddle Dunkirk in the race. The Eclipse Award-winning trainer is winless in 21 Derby starts.
