Risk Taking, Nicky the Vest work five furlongs for Wood Memorial

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Risk Taking, the Withers Stakes winner, and Nicky the Vest, winner of the Gander Stakes, both put in workouts Saturday morning over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 3.

Risk Taking, working in company with the 4-year-old maiden winner Mister Winston, went five furlongs in 1:02.23 seconds. Nicky the Vest, working in company with the unraced 3-year-old War Terminator, went five furlongs in 1:03.28. The training track did not yield quick times most of a cold, dry morning.

Risk Taking, equipped with blinkers and working outside of Mister Winston, got his final quarter in 25.30 seconds while in hand. It was Risk Taking’s third work since he won the Withers by 3 3/4 lengths over Overtook here Feb. 6.

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Risk Taking is trained by Chad Brown for Seth Klarman.

Nicky the Vest, outside of War Terminator, went in splits of 13.53 seconds, 26.00, 38.04 and completed five furlongs in 1:03.28.

“Visually, it was good, he was moving well, I don’t know what to make of the final time,” Jonathan Thomas, trainer of Nicky the Vest said. “The track is very, very dry. He came back well, cooled out well. Visually, I was plenty happy with it.”

It was Nicky the Vest’s second work in six days. On Monday, he worked a half-mile by himself in 48.82 seconds over the Belmont training track.

Thomas said he will look for a sharper five-eighths move next weekend for Nicky the Vest, who will be taking on open company after two wins against New York-breds.

At Parx, Brooklyn Strong, unraced since winning the Grade 2 Remsen last fall, worked five furlongs in 1:01.13. He is expected to run in the Wood.
Nominations for the Wood don’t close until next weekend. Other horses under consideration include Crowded Trade, Weyburn, Overtook, Dynamic One, Rombauer, Roman Centurian, and Prevalence.