Stuck in Traffic tries turf

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stuck in Traffic has never had to worry about getting in trouble, because he has always been in front early. According to trainer Nick Gonzalez, Stuck in Traffic once outran a commuter train while jetting along the backstretch on Woodbine's training track, and he has used his speed to win three stakes and $370,900.

Stuck in Traffic will experiment on the grass Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $125,000 Bold Ruckus Stakes. The six-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds is the third leg of the pick seven, which has a carryover of $147,300.

Stuck in Traffic won the six-furlong Achievement Stakes with a 97 Beyer Speed Figure in his season debut. He subsequently finished a weary second in the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes, after which Gonzalez decided to take him off the road toward the June 22 Queen's Plate.

"I turned him out after the Queenston," said Gonzalez. "He had a virus. We got that fixed up, and freshened him up a little. He came back with weight on, and he's been training real good. Maybe he's starting to grow up and chill out a little."

Gonzalez said he is looking forward to running Stuck in Traffic on the grass, for which the colt possesses some breeding.

"If the opportunity had come up last year, I would have run him on the turf," Gonzalez said. "He's out of a Regal Classic mare, and he's by Kiridashi. The only reason I've never breezed him on the turf is because he's a little headstrong and he needs a pony to take him to the pole, and they won't let you take a pony on the turf [training] course."

Stuck in Traffic breezed five-eighths on the Polytrack on May 31 in 59.60 seconds, which was the second-fastest of 63 works at the distance.

New Jersey shipper D' Wild Affair should be an off-the-pace threat in the Bold Ruckus.

He spent the winter with trainer Greg Sacco at Fair Grounds, where he defeated $50,000 maidens in February.

D' Wild Affair closed along the rail to earn second in a five-furlong allowance on turf at Atlantic City in his next-to-last outing. Most recently, at Monmouth, he crushed first-level allowance foes over six furlongs while earning an 88 Beyer.