Solitude Dude suffers cut in Bay Shore, should be OK for Woody Stephens
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Solitude Dude suffered a cut on a front ankle but otherwise came out of his two-length victory in Saturday’s Bay Shore Stakes in good order, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Sunday. The Bay Shore was a steppingstone to the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga on June 6.
“We needed a filler to go to the Woody Stephens, this made the most sense,” Joseph said. "I didn’t want to go to Churchill Downs to run him [in the Pat Day Mile] and then cut him back. We need to stay at seven-eighths. We have a really talented colt.”
Joseph said Solitude Dude “suffered a pretty decent cut” early in the race when jockey Javier Castellano had to take a hold of the horse after Time to Roll came over in front of him soon after the start.
“Javier had to take him back, he jumped a little bit and cut himself on his ankle,” Joseph said. “It’s a pretty decent cut. Hopefully, it should be okay in a couple of days.”
Joseph said Solitude Dude would remain at Belmont Park for the time being before shipping to Saratoga around the second week of May. Joseph has a few horses in New York, including Grammy Girl, winner of the Grade 3 Distaff Stakes on April 4. Grammy Girl is targeting the Grade 3, $175,000 Vagrancy on May 3 at Aqueduct.
Bravaro targets Mike Lee Stakes
Joseph said Bravaro, fourth in the Fountain of Youth and Wood Memorial, will target the Mike Lee Stakes for New York-breds on June 3 at Saratoga.
“That’s pretty definitive now,” Joseph said.
While Bravaro sits 24th on the points list for the Kentucky Derby, Joseph said the horse would have had to work over the weekend to still be considered for the Derby and he did not work.
Bravaro went 2 for 2 against New York-breds as a 2-year-old, including a stakes victory in the Sleepy Hollow going one mile at Aqueduct.
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