After Woody Stephens flop, Taj Mahal will get a short break

Trainer Brittany Russell said she is hoping to keep Taj Mahal in action this summer after the colt came up empty in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens last Saturday at Saratoga. The Preakness favorite has faded well back in his last two starts after winning three straight to start his career at Laurel Park.

“There’s not much to say,” Russell said. “We ran him back quick and he didn’t respond. It was a really tough race. We’ll just freshen him up and find a spot this summer for him.”

Following an 8 1/4-length romp in the $150,000 Federico Tesio in April, Taj Mahal was bet down to 9-2 in a Preakness field that featured just three runners returning from the Kentucky Derby. The 3-year-old colt went to the early lead but faded to 10th in his first graded stakes attempt, finishing 13 1/4 lengths behind Napoleon Solo.

Russell decided to take another chance with the two-time stakes winner in the seven-furlong Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes Day, but Taj Mahal trailed for most of the race on three weeks’ rest. He finished 45 1/2 lengths behind Englishman, who equaled the track record in a big day for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who later won the Belmont Stakes with Golden Tempo.

Based at Laurel, Taj Mahal has likely earned a short break after an ambitious start to his five-race career, but Russell suggested that he may not be out of the picture for too long.

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