Joseph will add blinkers to Bravaro for Wood Memorial
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BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Bravaro, coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, will be equipped with blinkers when he runs in next Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
Bravaro won his first two starts against New York-breds, then came off a layoff to finish second to Nearly in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Jan. 31. In the Fountain of Youth, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. felt Bravaro was making a move at the three-furlong pole before flattening out. He finished 11 lengths behind Commandment.
On Friday, at the Palm Meadows training center, Bravaro worked in blinkers for the first time, going a half-mile in 49.45 seconds, starting two lengths behind an unraced 3-year-old filly and finishing about a head back at the wire. Javier Castellano was up for the work.
“Just trying to change things up a little bit,” Joseph said about the equipment change. “Obviously, he was a little keen in his last race and you wouldn’t think blinkers would be the answer, but he’s relaxed pretty good in blinkers, which is a good thing. . . . I thought he worked decent enough today. I think we’re going to keep them on for the race.”
Joseph, who won the 2023 Wood Memorial, also is planning to run Code Review in the Wood. Code Review, a full brother to the Grade 2 winner Laoban, has won both of his starts, including a neck victory in a March 12 allowance at Colonial Downs.
Joseph, who planned to work Code Review over the weekend at Gulfstream Park, believes Code Review is better than what he’s shown so far.
“First time out, he just did enough and he galloped out really good in that race,” Joseph said. “Last time, it looked like he was going to get beat at the quarter pole and he did just enough to win again. You’re hoping two turns is going to bring out the best of him. So far, he’s trained a lot better than he’s run.”
Entries for the Wood Memorial will be taken Sunday. A large field, bordering on the maximum 14, is expected. Iron Honor, the Grade 2 Gotham winner, and Napoleon Solo, the Grade 1 Champagne winner, are the most accomplished names expected to enter. The field also could include Buetane, Civil Liberty, Courting, Creole Chrome, Ocelli, Ottinho, Red Zone Runner, Right to Party, Steel, Taj Mahal, and Talk to Me Jimmy.
The Wood, which has not produced a Kentucky Derby winner since Funny Cide in 2003, offers its top five finishers qualifying points to the Derby on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.
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