For Pletcher, four shots to finish first in Woodward
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When it comes to this year’s Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward Stakes, trainer Todd Pletcher has four horses who are fast, fierce, fresh, and frustrating.
At the end of the day, Pletcher hopes he can say that one of the four finished first when the 62nd Woodward is run Saturday at Saratoga.
Pletcher has four of the eight runners entered in the Woodward, run at 1 1/8 miles over the main track. The Woodward goes as race 10 on a 12-race card that begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern and includes three other graded stakes.
Liam’s Map heads the Pletcher quartet, coming off a heartbreaking loss in the Grade 1 Whitney four weeks ago. He set fast early fractions and had a four-length lead at the eighth pole, only to be run down on the wire by Honor Code.
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The race was reminiscent of five years ago, when the Pletcher-trained Quality Road got beat a head in the Whitney by Blame. Quality Road came back to win the Woodward. In 2007, the Pletcher-trained Lawyer Ron won the Woodward after setting a track record in the Whitney.
Liam’s Map had a very fast workout the week before the Whitney, and that might have affected his race, Pletcher said.
“We might have had him a little too sharp,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully, he’ll be a little more settled in here. You’re always concerned coming back in four weeks off of a big effort like that, but both our Woodward wins were off big Whitney efforts.”
Pletcher’s other three horses in the Woodward are Coach Inge, Protonico, and Mylute.
Coach Inge won the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap on a slow pace but then battled through fast fractions in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap and continued on fiercely, only to succumb late to Effinex and Tonalist while finishing third.
Protonico comes into the Woodward fresh, having not raced since May 1, when he took the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs. He was forced to miss the Stephen Foster Handicap due to a temperature and was scratched in the post parade of the Monmouth Cup on Aug. 2 when he was adversely affected by the heat. It is supposed to be in the 90s on Saturday.
Mylute comes off a frustrating second-place finish in the Alydar Stakes here, where he got carried out leaving the gate by Dream Saturday. He finished second to the speedy Bay of Plenty, who is also in this field.
Jimmy Jerkens sends out the uncoupled entry of Wicked Strong, who won last year’s Wood Memorial, and Effinex. Commanding Curve, second in the 2014 Kentucky Derby, completes the field.
KEY CONTENDERS
Liam’s Map (Last 3 Beyers: 113-106-112)
◗ While Liam’s Map figures to be the main speed in the field, Pletcher hopes he doesn’t have to go as fast early as he did in the Whitney in order to secure the early advantage.
“His strength is his high cruising speed and his ability to carry it a distance of ground, so we’re not going to take that away from him,” Pletcher said.
◗ Javier Castellano, aboard for an allowance win at Belmont in June, is back up, replacing Mike Smith, who was on him in the Whitney.
Effinex (Last 3 Beyers: 107-107-100)
◗ Was making a huge middle move into the teeth of a hot pace when he was checked by Junior Alvarado and then came with a determined late run to win the Grade 2 Suburban over Tonalist.
“Everybody says what a horrible ride Tonalist got, but we were moving with him, we got stopped and had to check, so what’s the difference?” trainer Jerkens said.
Coach Inge (Last 3 Beyers: 105-102-104)
◗ Was very game when beating V. E. Day in the Brooklyn Handicap at 1 1/2 miles and set a hot pace when third in the Suburban Handicap.
◗ Coach Inge breaks from post 6.
“The way the race looks on paper and the post position he drew should let him be in a stalking position following Liam’s Map and Bay of Plenty,” Pletcher said.
Wicked Strong (Last 3 Beyers:103-100-93)
◗ Ran better than he may get credit for when fourth, beaten six lengths, to Honor Code in the Grade 1 Whitney. Moves from the outside post to the rail.
◗ Though he hasn’t won in 13 months, Wicked Strong carries the top weight of 122 pounds.