Undrafted may be vulnerable in Woodford
The millionaire Undrafted is the most accomplished runner in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland, with his crowning accomplishment coming earlier this season when he scored a Group 1 victory at the Royal Ascot meeting in the Diamond Jubilee.
Yet Undrafted is far from a lock. Despite being based at Keeneland for Wesley Ward, he has yet to win on its turf course – his lone win here came on Polytrack in his career debut. He also has never won at 5 1/2 furlongs, the same distance as the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint four weeks later. And thus, Undrafted might be vulnerable.
“The race is a little short,” Ward said. “Five and a half is just a little short for him. But being at his home track … it hopefully can make up the difference.”
Undrafted finished third in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. This spring, he finished third in the Grade 3 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland and second in the Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint before his trip to Royal Ascot. After a summer freshening, he finished second in the More Than Ready Mile on Sept. 5. Ward now welcomes a return to Keeneland.
“When he leaves his home base at Keeneland, he falls apart,” said Ward, using champion sprinter Judy the Beauty as a contrasting example. “She thrives everywhere you go. But this particular horse, as soon as he leaves his stall at Keeneland to go run at whatever jurisdiction or track or country that it is, he kind of gets off his speed.”
Multiple stakes winner Holy Lute shipped in from California to finish second by a neck on a turf course rated “good” in the Kentucky Downs Turf Dash on Sept. 14. He would be helped by a firmer course on Saturday. Also emerging from the Turf Dash is Channel Marker, who won the Grade 3 Jaipur Stakes in June at Belmont Park before finishing fifth at Kentucky Downs.
Shore Runner has won four straight, including the Lucky Coin Stakes and Troy Stakes at Saratoga, since being claimed into Joe Sharp’s barn earlier this year. The Woodford marks his graded stakes debut.
Something Extra won the Shakertown during Keeneland’s spring meet.
Woodford, Race 5
key contenders
Undrafted (Last 3 Beyers: 91-NA-99)
◗ Kent Desormeaux has the mount on Saturday, but this gelding will be reunited with Frankie Dettori, who rode him at Royal Ascot, for the Breeders’ Cup.
Shore Runner (Last 3 Beyers: 97-96-95)
◗ Ran a career-best Beyer last out. Matches up well against this field, as he defeated Sharp Sensation and Amelia’s Wild Ride in the Lucky Coin and Something Extra in the Troy.
Mongolian Saturday (Last 3 Beyers: 100-98-98)
◗ Ran the field’s highest last-out Beyer when second by a nose in the Grade 3 Turf Monster.
◗ Picks up red-hot jockey Florent Geroux.
Channel Marker (Last 3 Beyers: 86-99-89)
◗ In his prior trip to Keeneland, he finished second by a half-length to Something Extra in the Shakertown.