O'Dwyer hoping track is fair for Withers rematch

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – About three weeks ago, trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer shipped three horses to New York from his Maryland base in part because training had been interrupted at Laurel Park in large part due to track condition.

Oh, the irony when Mother Nature allowed for training and racing at Laurel over the weekend, while training at Belmont and racing at Aqueduct was shuttered due to a winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow to the area.

Fortunately for O’Dwyer, he got in the necessary work last Friday for his New York-based trio, including Cooke Creek, who is scheduled to run in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes. Cooke Creek went five-eighths in 1:04 over a track that wasn’t yielding particularly fast times.

In the Withers, Cooke Creek will attempt to rebound from a third-place finish as the favorite in the Jerome Stakes going a mile here on New Year’s Day. In addition to being sloppy, Aqueduct’s main track was extremely speed favoring, something O’Dwyer felt worked against his horse, who was beaten two lengths by winner Courvoisier.

“We had to make him be closer than he ideally wants to be,” O’Dwyer said. “He was only beaten two lengths. I was very proud of him, really, the way he ran on a track I didn’t think would be favorable for him.”

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O’Dwyer is hoping for a dry and fairer-playing track on Saturday. He said he is looking forward to the opportunity to run him 1 1/8 miles in the Withers.

“We think that’s what he wants,” O’Dwyer said.

Cooke Creek got two works in at Belmont, and by breezing Friday he was not really impacted by the track being closed over the weekend. O’Dwyer also worked the filly Jet Force, who is possible for Sunday’s Ruthless Stakes here.

Cooke Creek has been adept at handling two turns, winning a maiden race at Delaware Park going a mile last October.

Manny Franco, aboard for Cooke Creek’s last two starts, including a second to Rockefeller in the Grade 3 Nashua, will be back aboard on Saturday.

Five of the top six finishers from the Jerome – Courvoisier, Smarten Up, Cooke Creek, Unbridled Bomber, and Mr Jefferson – are expected back for the Withers.

God of Love, winner of the Grade 3 Grey Stakes over Woodbine’s synthetic surface, has been rerouted from the Withers to the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12, trainer Mark Casse said Monday. God of Love is based in Florida and Casse didn’t want to ship to New York given the recent weather.

Conversely, trainer Bill Mott is expected to ship Gilded Age up from Payson Park. Gilded Age won a maiden race at Churchill Downs in his fourth start. Howling Time, winner of the Street Sense, could also come up from Florida for Dale Romans.

Early Voting, a debut winner for trainer Chad Brown, and maiden winner Constitutionlawyer are also expected

The top four finishers from the Withers earn qualifying points (10-4-2-1) to the May 7 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.