Modernist may stretch out in future races

Modernist came out of his victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior Stakes “good, happy,” according to Leana Willaford, assistant to trainer Bill Mott.

After a slow break, Modernist was part of a contested, albeit slow, pace. He took the lead in upper stretch and then, after switching leads at the sixteenth pole, ran away from Haikal to win by 2 1/2 lengths. He earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

Modernist was making his second start off a lengthy layoff following a fifth-place finish in last July’s Peter Pan Stakes. He entered the Excelsior off a second-place finish in the Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

“The last couple of races last year he was looking like he was ready for a break and he got one,” Willaford said. “It obviously helped him. He came back to me here much more mature physically and mentally. I thought he looked great going into the race.”

Modernist is a three-time winner at 1 1/8 miles, but Willaford indicated he may be a candidate for longer races. One such option is the Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont on June 5.