Extravagant Kid will try to reel in Golden Pal in Woodford Stakes
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Golden Pal and Extravagant Kid, who with major victories have established themselves as two of the best U.S.-based turf sprinters in the world, both spent time abroad this summer. They’ve returned to their own side of the Atlantic and collide in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Woodford Stakes on the Keeneland turf.
The Woodford is the only stakes event of Keeneland’s opening weekend that is not designated as a Win and You’re In prep for the Breeders’ Cup, but nevertheless it serves as one of the final prominent preps for the Turf Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.
Golden Pal is already a Breeders’ Cup winner, leading all the way to capture the Juvenile Turf Sprint last November at Keeneland. That concluded a well-traveled 2-year-old campaign in which he was second by a neck to The Lir Jet in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and was a front-running victor in the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga.
Golden Pal was away from the races for more than eight months after his Breeders’ Cup victory, returning in August to wire the field in the Grade 3 Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga. About five weeks later, he tired late to finish seventh, beaten less than five lengths, in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes in August at York.
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Golden Pal, who will have John Velazquez in the irons for the first time on Saturday, fired a bullet work last weekend at Keeneland in preparation for his return. He has drawn post 2 in this field of seven, an ideal position for him to flaunt his speed.
Extravagant Kid ran well last fall at Keeneland, finishing second by a half-length in the Woodford and a closing fourth, beaten a length by Glass Slippers, in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
Earlier this year, Extravagant Kid landed his first graded stakes score in style, winning the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint, one of the world’s richest turf sprints, on Dubai World Cup night. He spent the summer in England, finishing a creditable third in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot before tiring late to be 14th in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket. After a brief freshening, he returned to the work tab in early September in Kentucky.
The other world traveler in the field is Inhalation, who spent the early part of his career in England with Ed Vaughn before the trainer moved his operations to Kentucky late last year. The gelding has won 2 of 3 outings this season and is coming into the Woodford off back-to-back allowance wins at Colonial Downs.
Firecrow broke through in this division with a win in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico in May for trainer Ron Moquett. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 100 in that effort, making him the only horse in the field to break triple digits this season He has made just one start since, finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Turf Monster on Sept. 25 at Parx Racing.
Firecrow prefers to be forwardly placed and looms as the main pace pressure to Golden Pal – a situation that Jose Ortiz, who will be aboard the closing Extravagant Kid, will be watching with interest.
Rounding out the field are County Final, stakes-placed at Woodbine this year; Charcoal, a minor stakes winner at Indiana this year; and Johnny Unleashed, whose lone win this year came on Turfway’s synthetic.