The 67th running of the Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park next Saturday (October 2) was thought to be a rematch between the Whitney 1-2-3 from Saratoga in August. However, trainer Brad Cox thought better it and decided to run the winner, Knicks Go (current world #14 in the TRC rankings), around two turns in the G3 Lukas Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs instead.
After Knicks Go’s fourth in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap, connections decided against sending the horse around one turn at Belmont Park - his defeats there and in the one-turn Saudi Cup in February being his only losses this decade.
Then, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen followed suit entering the G1 Metropolitan Handicap winner Silver State (TRC world #100), who was third in the Whitney, in Saturday’s listed Parx Dirt Mile (he went down by a head to Mind Control), which raises a question mark whether he would be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, instead preferring the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
Nevertheless, the Woodward still has plenty to offer. Whitney runner-up Maxfield remains on target and there are two other G1 winners in good form out to make their mark in the older division.
Race history
Since its establishment in 1954, the Woodward has bounced from track to track, being first run at Belmont before switching to Aqueduct in the 1960s during the extensive Belmont renovation. It was run at Saratoga from 2006 until 2020, and now it returns to Belmont for the third time. It will be run over nine furlongs.
It has also been run at four different distances. The inaugural race was run at a mile, and then it was over nine furlongs the next year, before being run over ten until 1972. Then it was over the European classic distance of 12 furlongs for four years, after which it reverted to nine or ten furlongs, and at one turn or two turns depending upon the venue.
Switching the Woodward to Belmont, and running it over nine furlongs, makes it a strong prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Three of the last five Classic winners competed in preps over less than ten furlongs, and the last five Classic runners-up did the same. It could also have a bearing on the destination of the Champion Older Male Eclipse Award.
The race is named for the head of Belair Stud, William Woodward, who also chaired the Jockey Club from 1930 to 1950.
Woodward’s Belair Stud was an historic Maryland breeding and racing operation with 631 victories, and it Belair bred and owned a number of champions, including two American Triple Crown winners - the only father (Gallant Fox, 1930) and son (Omaha, 1935) to take the Triple Crown. Also bred there were fellow Hall of Famers Johnstown, Nashua and Granville.
The race has been won by numerous members of the Hall of Fame and 26 Horses of the Year, including Forego three times, Alysheba, Holy Bull, Cigar twice, Skip Away, Mineshaft, Ghostzapper, Saint Liam, Curlin, Rachel Alexandra, and Havre de Grace in just the last half century. Of those, the only ones not in the Hall of Fame are Saint Liam and his daughter, Havre de Grace.
Likely contenders
Even with the defection of the division leader, the field for the latest edition looks strong and includes a multiple G1 winner, three other G1 winners, and two other multiple Graded stakes winners:
Art Collector (TRC #176)
Bernardini - Distorted Legacy (Distorted Humor)
The switch to Bill Mott’s barn obviously agrees with Art Collector given his wins in the Alydar Stakes at Saratoga and the G3 Charles Town Classic last out. He appears to be ready for G1 competition again since his fourth in the 2020 Preakness.
By My Standards (TRC #184)
Goldencents - A Jealous Woman (Muqtarib)
Bret Calhoun’s 5-year old had everything against him in the Whitney. He broke poorly, stumbling at the start, and never was a factor, unlike last year, when he laid just off the pace and finished a good second. In the Metropolitan Handicap, the son of Goldencents laid off the pace set by Knicks Go and ran well to finish a strong second in his only effort at Belmont.
Code Of Honor (TRC #127)
Noble Mission - Reunited (Dixie Union)
After Code Of Honor’s fifth place in the Pegasus World Cup, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey’s patience has paid off. The Lanes End 5-year old posted a two-length victory in the Philip S Iselin Stakes at 8½ furlongs, a 105 Beyer and a career-high Equibase speed figure of 120. Connections seem to be spacing his races further apart, which could help his performance. The Woodward offers an opportunity for Code Of Honor to return to a track where he always runs strong.
Forza di Oro (TRC #945)
Speightstown - Filare l’Oro (Hard Spun)
He was favorite for the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga last out but disappointed, finishing third, 4½ lengths behind winner Max Player. Second, half a length ahead of him, was Happy Saver. Forza di Oro had won an allowance earlier in the meet. Bill Mott’s runner should appreciate the cut back in distance, and a return to the Belmont track, where he has two wins and a second.
Happy Saver (TRC #520)
Super Saver - Happy Week (Distorted Humor)
Todd Pletcher brings Happy Saver back into familiar territory at Belmont, where the colt was undefeated before his third-place finish in the G2 Suburban Handicap earlier this summer. Belmont is also the scene of his most impressive performance - in last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which he defeated subsequent Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide. However, this is much tougher.
Maxfield (TRC #33)
Street Sense - Velvety (Bernardini)
Godolphin’s homebred has shown signs of brilliance this year but has mostly been kept in second-tier races. His runner-up performance in the Whitney Stakes was his first run in a G1 since his impressive victory in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in 2019. He held his own in a step up in competition and is likely the favorite heading into this contest. In the eight weeks since, Maxfield has been training well at Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track, firing a bullet at five furlongs in his penultimate work, and he looks to be ready to deliver a career-best effort. The Brendan Walsh trainee should move forward off that last race.
Switching the Woodward back to Belmont as a BC Classic prep and running it over nine furlongs is a wise move by NYRA. Three of the last five Classic winners competed in preps less than ten furlongs, as did the last five Classic runners-up did.
Retired jockey and Fox Sports race analyst Rich Migliore has said that keeping the ten furlongs Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga makes it a “truer race” because it starts mid-stretch rather than in the turn, as it did at Belmont, and so gives it a more natural run up to the turn. Whoever competes in the Woodwood at Belmont now may have an advantage over those who ran in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in the past.
Given the prestige of Woodward and the competition assembled, the winner would immediately enter not just the conversation for winning the Classic, but also Champion Older Male.
Todd Sidor, an attorney by trade, has produced equine law seminars, and has been a member of racing partnerships for a number of years. His more than two decades’ passion and respect for the sport of horseracing will always make him, first and foremost, a racing enthusiast with a penchant for racing history.