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Law Professor Set For Return In Woodward

Twin Creeks Racing Stable's graded stakes winner Law Professor, last seen finishing a distant sixth in the Pimlico Special (G3) on May 19, will return in Saturday's $400,000 Woodward (G2)  at Belmont at the Big A. He was second in last year's Grade 1 edition of the 1 1/8-mile event.

Trained by Rob Atras, the 5-year-old Constitution gelding received a freshening after racing seven times at five different tracks from September through May, including open-lengths victories at Aqueduct in the Queens County in January and Excelsior in April.

“He went home to Twin Creeks Farm for 30 days and got a real good freshening and came back looking really good,” trainer Rob Atras said. “He put some weight on, which he needed. He'd been in training for a while and shipping around a lot, so I think he needed it.”

The versatile Law Professor, who won the restricted Tapit last September at Kentucky Downs, made the grade in an off-the-turf edition of the 2021 Santa Anita Mathis Mile (G2) when in the care of conditioner Michael McCarthy.

Law Professor was a game runner-up in last year's Woodward, battling with multiple Grade 1 winner Life Is Good the length of the lane and falling just 1 1/4-lengths short. He is slated to face a strong field on his return, including Grade 1 winner Zandon, dual graded stakes-winner Charge It, and Dubai World Cup (G1) runner-up Algiers.

“If we were shipping to face those kind, we probably wouldn't do it off the bench,” Atras said. “But we get to run at Aqueduct, which he seems to like, and we've been able to put quite a bit of good training into him. I'm hopeful he'll run a good race.”

Law Professor returned to Atras' barn in July and has since breezed seven times over the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile effort in 48.52 last Sunday. He was scheduled to breeze this morning but wet conditions have pushed the work back one day.

“I galloped him this morning. He's doing everything we need – I was just looking for a light half. We'll probably do it tomorrow now,” Atras said.

Manny Franco, aboard for both stakes scores here, will retain the mount in the Woodward.

Atras also noted that Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Kentucky homebred Harrodsburg is set to resume training after being sidelined with an injury following a third-place finish in the Dwyer (G3) on July 1 at Belmont Park.

The sophomore Constitution gelding graduated impressively in his March debut at Aqueduct and earned a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure for a close runner-up effort against older allowance company in May at Belmont.

“He came out of the race with a knee injury, which required surgery,” Atras said. “I was devastated as I thought he had a real bright future. He has a tremendous amount of ability that horse.”

Atras said that Harrodsburg is likely to resume light training in the next few weeks.

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Russell, Barbosa Repeat As Pimlico Fall Meet Leaders

In a repeat of last year, trainer Brittany Russell and jockey Jeiron Barbosa finished at the top of their respective standings as historic Pimlico Race Course wrapped up its boutique nine-day fall meet Sunday.

Russell had one winner from three starters Sunday, Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso's 2-year-old filly Low Society ($4) in Race 3, to give her seven for the meet, one more than runner-up Hugh McMahon, who captured the Race 10 finale with Dancinonthebeach ($20.40).

In earning her fifth career title Russell posted training doubles on Sept. 10, including the $75,000 Challedon with Swill, and Sept. 16, when she won the $100,000 Weather Vane with Apple Picker and $100,000 All Along with Full Count Felicia.

“It's awesome. I'll be honest, I don't feel like this was an easy meet for us,” Russell said. “But we had some quality horses show up and I think that's the most important thing. We had some nice horses, some stakes wins, good horses winning good races. That's really what we're here for.”

Low Society gave jockey Jevian Toledo his 1,500th career victory, making the day even more special for Russell and her daughter, Edy, who posed in the winner's circle with Toledo as he was presented with a sign from the Maryland Jockey Club. Low Society wound up being claimed for $30,000.

“That was so exciting. Edy thought it was great. It was a nice surprise on the day,” Russell said. “I knew he was coming close but with a maiden [$30,000} filly 2-year-old race, you weren't even thinking about it. Then he wins the race, and it was a lot of fun. I'm really happy for Toledo because, obviously, he is a huge part of our team.”

Earlier this year the recently turned 34-year-old Russell earned a second straight Preakness Meet at Pimlico title and also ranked second at Laurel winter and summer and fourth at Laurel spring while leading the standings in purse earnings each time.

Already, the Pennsylvania native has surpassed career highs across the board with 477 starters, 124 wins and more than $5.7 million in purse earnings. Leading all Maryland trainers with 81 wins at Laurel and Pimlico this year, she could become the first woman ever to finish as the state's winningest trainer.

Russell's other training titles have come at Laurel's 2022 spring and fall meets. In April she earned her second career graded-stakes victory and first in a Grade 1 with Doppleganger in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

“It's great,” she said. “Obviously, we're delighted and thrilled to win.”

It is the fourth career riding title and first this year for Barbosa, 19, a finalist for the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice of 2022, when he captured Laurel Park's spring and fall stands in addition to Pimlico. He went winless Sunday but ended with a 12-7 advantage over Sheldon Russell and apprentice Axel Concepcion.

Barbosa registered five multi-win days during the fall meet that began Sept. 8, including hat tricks Sept. 9 and 22, and he scored an upset victory aboard Built Wright Stable's Double Crown in the $100,000 Polynesian Sept. 10.

Represented by agent Tom Stift, Barbosa ranks second overall in Maryland with 102 wins, trailing only Jaime Rodriguez (113). Barbosa finished second to Rodriguez at Laurel's winter meet with 49 wins and tied with Angel Cruz for second at Laurel's spring stand, one win behind Concepcion.

Barbosa's wins came for nine different trainers: Ray Ginter Jr. (3), Damon Dilodovico (2), Robert Mosco, Hamilton Smith, Milan Milosevic, Phil Capuano, Rudy Sanchez-Salomon, Michael Merryman and Kieron Magee.

“Starting off hot at a short meet is great, but he's been on a roll for a while,” Stift said. “He's just been hot for a couple months. He's riding in the zone. You see him making moves and it's like, 'Whoa.' ”

For the year, Barbosa has 129 wins and more than $4.8 million in purse earnings, ranking in the top 30 nationally in wins and top 35 in money won.

“He's done it quietly. It's pretty impressive,” Stift said. “He's riding aggressive, and people are really noticing now.”

A native of Puerto Rico, where he attended the Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school, Barbosa won on each of his first two domestic mounts, Heliacal Rising and Ludicrous Mode, last March 22 at Laurel. His spring title came made him just the third apprentice in the past decade, following Yomar Ortiz (2013) and Julio Correa (2020), to lead Laurel's rider standings.

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‘Fact-Finding Mission’: DWC Runner-Up Algiers To Get ‘American Dirt’ Test In Woodward

A strong run of form in Dubai this winter from Algiers has British-based conditioners Ed and Simon Crisford thinking that the multiple group stakes winner is worthy of a try in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park. But should he make the journey to California, he'll first audition by way of New York when contesting Saturday's $400,000 Woodward (G2) going nine furlongs at Belmont at the Big A.

Owned by Rabbah Bloodstock, Algiers has not raced since finishing a game second in the Dubai World Cup (G1) in March at Meydan Racecourse, finishing 2 3/4 lengths behind Japanese invader Ushba Tesoro. The 6-year-old Shamardal gelding captured two of the three rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge (G2) by open lengths. He took the one-mile Round 1 on January 6 by 6 1/2 lengths before stretching out to 1 3/16 miles for Round 2 on February 3, winning by six lengths.

“Obviously, he ran a super race in the Dubai World Cup, but there's nothing really for him here in England. We wanted to keep him on dirt because he seems so effective on it,” said Ed Crisford. “He had a hard campaign last winter. He started racing around this time last year and went all the way through to April, so we gave him a nice summer holiday and aimed him for the Breeders' Cup. He needs a prep run for the Breeders' Cup, so the Ack Ack at Churchill and the Woodward were what we were looking at. It's a good prep. If you go well in the Woodward, you have options basically.”

Crisford noted that Algiers will have to prove his Dubai success can translate stateside.

“It is a fact-finding mission. We want to see if he can handle the American dirt because it is different than Meydan. I do think the New York tracks are more similar to Meydan than some of the other tracks,” Crisford said. “We want to see what he can do against top American dirt horses. If he goes well, wins or runs very well, we can justify going to the Breeders' Cup. If not, we'll probably just take him back to Dubai. It all depends on what happens on the weekend.”

Algiers was initially campaigned by trainer Andre Fabre and transferred to the Crisfords following a three-year campaign in France, where he raced exclusively on grass and won three times. He made his main track debut in his first start for Crisford at Jebel Ali Racecourse last January, finishing second going 1 3/16 miles before capturing the 2022 Jebel Ali Mile (G3). He was subsequently a distant eighth in the Godolphin Mile (G2) in his lone off-the-board effort on dirt.

Following a summer freshening, Algiers was reintroduced to turf when capturing a 1 5/16-mile handicap event in October at York before finishing a distant sixth in the James Seymour going 10 furlongs three weeks later at Newmarket. He was then narrowly beaten in the Churchill over the all-weather surface at Lingfield to round out his 2022 campaign.

“We took him out to Dubai after he came to us from France, where he'd been running on turf. He started to go really well on the dirt, covering the ground super well,” Crisford said. “We ran him in a Group 3 at Jebel Ali and he won. So, we figured he took to the surface really well. We ran him on Dubai World Cup night and he ran OK. After that we brought him back to England, gelded him, gave him the summer off and got him on turf again.

“We ran him on the all-weather and he put up some good figures in that race,” Crisford continued. “When he went back to Meydan, he improved almost 10-15 pounds for running on that dirt, he was just a different animal. The year before training on the dirt, he really knew what he was doing. He's such a natural. He's got such a high cruising speed and he can quicken off the strong pace. That's what you need for dirt and he's a natural at it.”

While neither Crisford will make the trip to New York, Algiers, who was slated to arrive in New York Sunday, will be overseen and saddled by traveling assistant Les Reynolds.

Bred in Ireland by Godolphin, Algiers is out of the Platini mare Antara, a group winner in Germany and England who was also Group 1-placed in England, France, and Italy. Algiers has banked $3,026,934 through a record of 21-7-6-2.

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