Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Contact: Jenny Kellner
QUALITY ROAD LOOKS TO GET BACK ON TRACK IN WOODWARD
Everything was going according to plan until the final yards of the Whitney, when
Saturday, Quality Road's connections are looking for the Elusive Quality colt to get back on track when he faces six others in the 57th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward, one of the Labor Day weekend highlights at Saratoga Race Course.
"We were a half-a-head short of [being unbeaten] this year," said Pletcher of Quality Road's 4-year-old campaign. "Every race is paramount; they're all important. If you lose, you regroup and try again, to regain his confidence, and regain our confidence."
In the Whitney,
"We're hoping for someone to show enough initiative so he can follow someone," said Pletcher, who will again give John Velazquez a leg up on
Arcodoro, owned by Southern Equine Stable, went wire-to-wire as a 44-1 longshot at the Spa on July 31 to win an allowance going the Woodward distance, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. With David Cohen back aboard, the 4-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt will leave from post position 4 at odds of 30-1.
Tranquil Manner, who also won a 1 1/8th-mile race at
"It's a bit of a stretch," said Kiaran McLaughlin, who trains Tranquil Manner for Darley Stable. "Obviously, we don't have any visions of beating
With Alan Garcia up, Tranquil Manner will leave from post position 6 at 15-1 on the morning line.
Two colts who have tangled with
Convocation, who was fourth in the Met Mile on Memorial Day, and 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who was fifth, beaten 12 ½ lengths, in the Whitney.
Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, who last week won the Grade 1 Travers with Afleet Express, Convocation followed the Met Mile with a second to Haynesfield in the Grade 2 Suburban and a victory in an optional claimer on August 4.
"He has a victory at the distance here," said Jerkens of Convocation, who breezed a half-mile in 48.66 Tuesday. "You have to think that's big going into a stakes."
With Javier Castellano aboard, Convocation drew the rail and was listed at 6-1 on the morning line.
Mine That Bird, who has not won since his 50-1 upset in last year's Run for the Roses, got a new trainer this spring in Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. On Saturday, he will get a change of equipment with the addition of blinkers, and a new rider in Rajiv Maragh.
"We needed to move forward," said Lukas, for whom Mine That Bird is winless in two starts. "The blinkers, the rider change – we weren't getting results with the way things were."
The 4-year-old gelding drew post 2 at 10-1 on the morning line.
Mythical Power, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, makes his East coast debut in the Woodward. The 4-year-old Congaree colt, whose career highlights include victories in the Grade 3 Lone Star Derby in 2009 and the Grade 3 Texas Mile in April, has been stabled at trainer John Terranova's barn since the middle of August and has worked twice over the main track, most recently turning in a bullet 1:00 1/5 on August 27.
Martin Garcia comes in to ride Mythical Power, 12-1 on the morning line from post 7.
Indian Dance, who finished eighth in his career debut at the Spa last August, returns to
The field for the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward:
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Convocation (KY) | J Castellano | 126 | J A Jerkens | 6-1 |
| 2 | Mine That Bird (KY) | R Maragh | 126 | D W Lukas | 10-1 |
| 3 | Quality Road (VA) | J R Velazquez | 126 | T A Pletcher | 1-4 |
| 4 | Arcodoro (KY) | D Cohen | 126 | E J Guillot | 30-1 |
| 5 | Indian Dance (MD) | K J Desormeaux | 126 | L | 20-1 |
| 6 | Tranquil Manner (KY) | A Garcia | 126 | K P McLaughlin | 15-1 |
| 7 | Mythical Power (KY) | M Garcia | 126 | B Baffert | 12-1 |
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