Coal Front gave trainer Todd Pletcher his fourth win so far today here at Saratoga (from just five races) with a victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam that was better than his 1 1/2 length win margin would suggest.

Coal Front, who was making his stakes debut and is now 3 for 3, sustained serious early pace pressure from Mo Cash from the start to the stretch before drawing clear, and then containing a late rally from Excitations that never actually threatened to succeed.

But the pace pressure Coal Front survived was only part of the reason why he impressed. There were only two dirt races on Saturday's card before the Amsterdam and the fractions and final times in those races strongly suggested that the main track was decidedly dead. But Coal Front actually made the surface look quick, stopping the clock in a fine 1:16.05 for the 6 1/2 furlongs.