Coup de Grace eyes Woody Stephens Stakes
Coup de Grace, the winner of the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct on April 5, will point to the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont on June 7. The Woody Stephens, like the Bay Shore, is run at seven furlongs.
“The question is, do we want to run him between now and then?” trainer Chad Brown said. “He does run well fresh. His training will dictate what decision we’ll make.”
Meanwhile, Normandy Invasion, the runner-up to Palace Malice in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap at Fair Grounds on March 29, is back at Belmont Park, where on Sunday he worked a half-mile in 48.65 seconds over the training track.
Brown said no decision has been made on where Normandy Invasion will make his next start.
“We’ll possibly firm up his plans over the weekend,” Brown said.