The Grade 2 $250,000 Woody Stephens Presented by VisitNassauCounty.com for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs is named for the late Hall of Fame trainer who won a record five consecutive Belmont Stakes from 1982-86 with Conquistador Cielo, Caveat, Swale, Crème Fraiche and Danzig Connection.
E. Paul Robsham Stables’ Travelin Man enters the race off an uncharacteristic sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 30, the only time he has been off the board in four lifetime starts.
The one-mile Trial was the first time Travelin Man had raced beyond seven furlongs, but Pletcher didn’t feel as if distance played a major part in the result.
“I think it was the surface,” he said. “He just didn’t seem to like the surface there. He kind of spun his wheels, according to [rider] John Velazquez, and I don’t think it had anything to do with the mile distance. It probably didn’t matter what distance he was going that day; he didn’t seem to fire.”
A son of Trippi, Travelin Man didn’t make his race debut until January 11, breaking his maiden at first asking. A solid second in the Grade 2 Hutcheson, he won the Grade 2 Swale at Gulfstream Park on April 3, both at seven-eighths.
“We never got him until November of last year, so I don’t really know what was going on with him,” Pletcher said. “He’s been a very straightforward, sound horse for us. He’s always been very easy to train, and very professional. Seven furlongs is the perfect distance for him. We look forward for him to bounce back with a good race.”
Also coming out of the Derby Trial is third-place finisher J J’s Lucky Train, who has won both career starts at seven furlongs, including the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct on April 9, where he beat fellow Woody Stephens contender Justin Philip.
Also entered are Arch Traveler, second in a seven-furlong allowance at Belmont on May 12; multiple stakes winner Little Drama; recent Churchill allowance winner Derivative; and lightly raced Bold Warrior, making just his third lifetime start.
The field for the Grade 2, $250,000 Woody Stephens Presented by VisitNassauCounty.com:
|
PP
|
Horse
|
Jockey
|
Wgt
|
Trainer
|
Odds
|
|
1
|
Travelin Man (KY)
|
J R Velazquez
|
123
|
T A Pletcher
|
2-1
|
|
2
|
Justin Phillip (KY)
|
R A Dominguez
|
117
|
S M Asmussen
|
6-1
|
|
3
|
Derivative (KY)
|
J Rosario
|
117
|
D W Lukas
|
20-1
|
|
4
|
Bold Warrior (KY)
|
C H Velasquez
|
117
|
H A Jerkens
|
8-1
|
|
5
|
Arch Traveler (KY)
|
J Lezcano
|
119
|
J A Jerkens
|
5-2
|
|
6
|
Little Drama (FL)
|
J Castellano
|
121
|
D Fawkes
|
5-1
|
|
7
|
J J's Lucky Train (KY)
|
P Lopez
|
123
|
W D Anderson
|
6-1
|