Pletcher works Woodward Stakes contenders

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher may not have had a 3-year-old to run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, but he spent part of the morning preparing a bevy of older horses for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward Stakes here.

Liam’s Map, a heartbreaking second to Honor Code in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 8, worked a half-mile in 49.79 seconds, with a very strong gallop-out of five furlongs in 1:02.15, six furlongs in 1:14.66, and seven-eighths in 1:28.77.

It was the second straight week that the speedy Liam’s Map put in a more relaxed type of workout under jockey Javier Castellano.

“Very good, very relaxed, finished the last sixteenth well, and I thought his gallop-out was quite good,” Pletcher said.

Liam’s Map is one of four horses Pletcher is expected to run in the Woodward. Coach Inge, the Brooklyn Handicap winner, went a half-mile in 48.68 seconds in company with Alydar Stakes runner-up Mylute. The pair got their final quarter in 23.71 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.08 and six furlongs in 1:13.76.

“Both worked well, happy with them,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher has not finalized riding assignments for those two horses but has John Velazquez and Irad Ortiz Jr. holding the race for him.

Protonico has not run since winning the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 1. He was scratched in the post parade of the Monmouth Cup on Aug. 2 and, unbeknownst to Pletcher, was put on the vet’s list by the New Jersey state veterinarian.

In order to be removed from the list and be allowed to run Protonico, Pletcher had to work him in front of New York Racing Association chief veterinarian Anthony Verderosa in a timely fashion. That is why Protonico worked five furlongs in 59.90 seconds Wednesday, four days after he worked five furlongs in 1:01.76.

“He was on the vet’s list in New Jersey, which no one told me, so I had to get him off,” Pletcher said. “Verderosa has to be there to watch. Unlike every other jurisdiction, where it takes 48 hours to get the blood work back, here it takes seven to 10 days.”