Perfect sprinting, Solitude Dude faces stiff test in Woody Stephens
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Undefeated and virtually untested in races at seven furlongs or less, Solitude Dude will face by far his toughest test yet at one turn when taking on a stellar field next Saturday at Saratoga in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens.
Solitude Dude is perfect in four starts at distances ranging between six and seven furlongs, having won those races by a combined 23 1/4 lengths. Three of his victories have come in stakes, including the seven-furlong Bay Shore at Aqueduct as a prohibitive 1/9 favorite on April 18.
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Solitude Dude’s lone setback to date came in his only try around two turns. He finished a solid third behind top 3-year-olds Commandment and Chief Wallabee in the Grade 2, 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth this winter at Gulfstream Park.
Joseph shipped Solitude Dude to Saratoga earlier this month and has worked the son of Yaupon three times locally preparing for his Grade 1 debut. The workouts included him zipping four furlongs over an extremely fast track in 46 seconds flat on May 23, then returning Saturday to complete the same distance in 47.89 seconds. In the latter drill, he went easily throughout before galloping out five furlongs in 1:00.25, per Daily Racing Form, over a track that had been back-raked at the renovation break due to early morning showers.
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“Even though he ran very credible going a mile and one-sixteenth in the Fountain of Youth, we just felt he was a one-turn horse and decided to point him in that direction moving forward,” said Joseph. “This will definitely be his sternest test yet going up against a really top field, including Crude Velocity and Englishman. I guess we’ll know where he stands after this race. The one advantage I think he has is that he’s an extremely versatile horse who is very comfortable either on the lead or sitting off the pace if need be.”
Although he has been guided to his four career victories by four different riders, it will be Flavien Prat, who rode Solitude Dude for the first and only time in the Fountain of Youth, who’ll have the call in the seven-furlong Woody Stephens.
Along with Crude Velocity and Englishman, who finished first and second, respectively, in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard, the field for the Woody Stephens is also expected to include Civil Liberty, Gilded Bandit, Obliteration, and Six Speed.