Woodwin W wins Murphy Stakes to stay perfect

BALTIMORE – Woodwin W, who had demonstrated an affinity for the Pimlico turf in his most recent outing, used that to his advantage to remain unbeaten while winning his stakes debut in the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes for 3-year-olds on the Pimlico grass Saturday.

The gelding, who was unstarted as a juvenile, has now won all four of his starts for trainer Jamie Ness. In his prior outing, he won an allowance going 1 1/16 miles on the Pimlico turf April 24.

“We put him in the allowance pointing for [the James Murphy],” Ness said. “If he’s good enough for the allowance, then we’re going to go in here. A trip over the track, being local, it worked out perfect. The horse has done nothing but win for us. He deserved the opportunity, and he seized the moment.”

When the gates opened, an eager Bluegrass Singer and Commute quickly bounced out to assume command, with Bluegrass Singer establishing the lead through a first quarter in 23.20 seconds and the half in 47.28. Under Jevian Toledo, Woodwin W ($9) was able to settle to the outside of those two, attending the pace in third the majority of the way around the track.

“Jevian had ridden the horse before, so we had a game plan,” Ness said. “There was a lot of speed in the race, but our horse is speed, so we put him in the race early, and if he gets tired, that’s on me. Everything turned out perfect.”

Toledo angled Woodwin W out even wider cutting the corner for home, and the gelding responded nicely to collar the leaders and surge clear by two lengths.

The favored Force the Pass, the lone prior turf stakes winner in the field, emerged to make a solid run at Woodwin W down the lane, but with Toledo switching from steady left-handed to right-handed urging inside the final furlong, the gelding had enough to hold him off by three-quarters of a length, stopping the clock in 1:34.32 for the mile. It was another 3 1/4 lengths back to All I Karabout in third.

Ness said he had yet to decide on a next target for his newly minted stakes winner.

The James Murphy was the first of seven undercard stakes at Pimlico leading up to the Preakness Stakes this evening.