Woody Stephens presented by Emirates Airline recap; Saturday, June 5, 2010
D' FUNNYBONE TAKES WOODY STEPHENS IN A LAUGHER
By Jenny Kellner
ELMONT, N.Y. – D' Funnybone and a patient Edgar Prado took advantage of blistering early fractions in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Woody Stephens presented by Emirates Airline to rally from off the pace and pull clear to a 3¼-length victory over Discreetly Mine.
When the gates opened, Eightyfiveinafifty and Discreetly Mine rocketed to the front, dueling through an opening quarter in 22.28 and a half in 44.82 as Prado kept the 6-5 favorite more than eight lengths back in third. Rounding the turn, D' Funnybone took aim at the pacesetters and swept three-wide into the lead with a furlong to go, hitting the wire in 1:22.64 for the seven furlongs over Belmont Park's fast main track.
"I expected to be a little closer, but he broke well and I just bided my time," said Prado. "It worked out perfectly."
Remand closed for third, a half-length back, with Thank U Philippe finishing fourth and Eightyfiveinafifty fading to fifth and last in the 26th running of the Woody Stephens, one of five graded stakes on the undercard for the 142nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes.
The victory was the third in four starts this year for D' Funnybone, a 3-year-old son of D'wildcat who won the Grade 2 Hutcheson and the Grade 2 Swale at Gulfstream Park before finishing fourth as the heavy favorite in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"We know he liked this track and things set up absolutely perfect for him," said winning trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. "When I saw those two going with each other, I couldn't ask for anything better. Even though he was further back than usual, Edgar knew what he was doing and he had plenty of time to catch up."
D' Funnybone, winner of the Grade 2 Saratoga Special at Saratoga Race Course and the Grade 2 Futurity at
Overall, D' Funnybone is 6-1-0 from nine lifetime starts, with his only off-the-board performance coming over an artificial surface in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, in which he finished 13th.
Worth $150,000, the Woody Stephens presented by Emirates Airline victory boosted his bankroll to $615,700 for owner Paul Pompa, Jr.
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