Bradester, Samraat work for Woodward Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – By running in the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup instead of the Grade 1 Whitney, Bradester not only returned to one of his favorite surfaces, but he avoided a meeting with Frosted, who backed up his dominant Metropolitan Handicap victory in June with another sensational effort in winning the Whitney.

The connections of Bradester were using the Monmouth Cup as a prep for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward, where they originally thought they would be able to avoid Frosted.

On Friday, the connections of Frosted confirmed that the multiple Grade 1 winner would indeed target the Woodward. But that won’t change the plans for Bradester, who will be among the five expected challengers to Frosted in the 1 1/8-mile race.

“The fact he’s doing well over the track and it fits real well on the schedule, we’re going to go ahead and run him,” Eddie Kenneally, the trainer of Bradester, said. “The horse himself is doing really well.”

In addition to bringing a three-race winning streak into the Woodward – a streak that includes the Grade 1 Stephen Foster – Bradester will come in with a solid half-mile work in 48.70 seconds Saturday over Saratoga’s main track.

Working at around 6 a.m., Bradester went his first quarter in 25.06 seconds and his second quarter in 23.64. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.50.

“Perfect work,” Kenneally said.

Samraat, a neck loser to Effinex in the Grade 2 Suburban at Belmont on July 9, also skipped the Whitney to point for the Woodward, hoping to avoid Frosted. On Saturday, he worked five furlongs in 1:01.62, with a final three furlongs in 36.62 seconds.

“It was a nice, steady breeze,” trainer Rick Violette said. “In our original planning, I didn’t think Frosted would go, but I don’t know if it would have changed anything.”

Entries for the Woodward will be taken Wednesday. Others expected to run include Breaking Lucky, Mubtaahij, and Tale of Verve.