Photo:

Shamela Hanley / Eclipse Sportswire

Grade 1 winner Locked made a victorious return to the races in Saturday’s opener at Belmont at the Big A, besting elders in a seven-furlong optional-claiming allowance race by 7 1/2 lengths.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm and trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Gun Runner 3-year-old had not raced since finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November at Del Mar. The talented chestnut colt graduated in September 2023 at Saratoga before taking down the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) last October at Keeneland.

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On Saturday, Locked was hustled from the gate by Hall of Famer John Velázquez, who lost his crop early in the running, and tracked in second position as Gun It marked swift splits of 22.83 and 45.09 seconds over the fast main track.

Locked was asked for his best through the turn and was in command with three-sixteenths of a mile remaining to score under a drive with a final time of 1:21.02.

“It was encouraging. He had been training very well,” Pletcher said. “It worked out.”

Pletcher said the promising effort could propel Locked to the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap on Dec. 7 at Aqueduct with an eye toward the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.

“We’d talked about the possibility of the Cigar Mile or Harlan’s Holiday (G3) as a springboard to the Pegasus,” Pletcher said. “The Cigar Mile looks a little more attractive after the way he ran on this track today. We’ll talk to Aron (Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners) and the connections and come up with a plan.”

A $425,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale, Locked is out of winning Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa, a half-sister to multiple graded-stakes winners Gabby’s Golden Gal and Always a Princess.