Fast start proves key for Drain the Clock in Woody Stephens
ELMONT, N.Y. – Drain the Clock, whose connections opted to concentrate on a sprint campaign despite having had every reason to continue along the Kentucky Derby trail following a second-place finish in the Fountain of Youth, validated that decision with his game neck win over even-money Jackie’s Warrior in the seven-furlong, $400,000 Woody Stephens. The race was the first of eight Grade 1 races decided on Saturday’s outstanding Belmont Stakes card.
One can make a strong case that Drain the Clock won the Woody Stephens at the start after breaking well and quickly sprinting clear under jockey Jose Ortiz, who was deputizing for his injured brother Irad. Jackie’s Warrior, on the other hand, came away a bit slow and then was forced to take back to last after being pinched and put in some tight quarters immediately thereafter.
Jackie’s Warrior recovered to rush up and overtake Drain the Clock before completing the opening quarter-mile in 22.09 seconds over the fast track. Jackie’s Warrior maintained a short advantage much of the way, despite bearing well out into the stretch and continuing to drift some down the lane with Drain the Clock lapped on him throughout, the latter ultimately drawing even a sixteenth from the wire before proving narrowly best under vigorous handling.
Jackie’s Warrior, who withstood a similarly gut-wrenching stretch duel with Dream Shake to win the Pat Day Mile five weeks earlier at Churchill Downs, was easily second best, finishing 7 1/4 lengths in front of Nova Rags. Dream Shake saved ground but had no closing punch coming off his courageous effort in the Pat Day, finishing a non-threatening fourth, followed by Tulane Tryst and the tiring Caddo River.
The victory was the sixth in eight starts for Drain the Clock, whose only other setback besides his second-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth on Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park came when his rider fell off a quarter-mile into the Jean Lafitte Stakes last fall at Delta Downs. The Woody Stephens win came in Drain the Clock’s first try against Grade 1 competition following easy Grade 3 wins earlier this season in the Swale (Gulfstream Park) and Bay Shore (Aqueduct).
Owned by the partnership of Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Nentwig, and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Drain the Clock completed the distance in 1:22.27 over a fast track, earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, and paid a generous $17.
“This is the benefit of making a tough decision,” Joseph said referring to the choice to cut Drain the Clock back in distance despite a big effort in the Fountain of Youth. “We could have kept him on the Derby trail, he got 20 points for the Fountain of Youth, could have picked up more and been a contender in the Derby. Would he have won? Probably not. That would have been stretching him. [The owners] never got Derby fever after giving him the one try. After that, it was let’s have a good horse at one turn. And today he validated that.”
Joseph agreed the Woody Stephens was probably won, and lost, at the break.
“We told Jose the break was important and to make [Joel] Rosario make a decision and give him the inside if he wants to go in there,” Joseph explained. “Obviously, Jackie’s Warrior missed the break and after that ran up on the inside and we were in a good spot. At the quarter pole, though, I thought we were going to be second because this horse has never really come under a drive around one turn, and he looked like he was starting to back up. At that point, I would have been happy to finish second. And then he dug in. The horse deserves all the credit. I feel kind of awed to be in this position.”
Ortiz verified it was his game plan to try to outbreak Jackie’s Warrior for the lead and make him rush up on his inside.
“I just didn’t want [Jackie’s Warrior] outside putting pressure on me the whole way,” Ortiz said. “The stretch duel was great. It was great for racing. The people come here to see those kind of duels. I’m just happy we came out with the win and I’m happy for filling in for Irad and not messing it up.”