The Coolmore partners' Golden Pal remains undefeated on the Keeneland turf course, getting his fourth win on the Lexington, Ky. surface in Saturday's Grade 2, $350,000 Woodford Stakes. The 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo set a new stakes record under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., completing 5 1/2 furlongs on the firm turf in 1:01.39.
“He's a fast horse,” Ortiz said. “He's an amazing horse. He's something else. I'm just happy to be on him. Thanks, Wesley and the owners and everybody involved for letting me ride this horse. He loves this track. It's home for him.”
Trainer Wesley Ward was beyond pleased with his talented charge's 1 1/2-length victory, looking ahead to potential Breeders' Cup three-peat in next month's Turf Sprint.
“Every time he runs, I get kind of nervous because he's so exceptional,” Ward said. “We're real excited now to get on to the Breeders' Cup. We got our prep into him here on his home track at Keeneland, and 28 days from now we'll be ready to roll.”
Bred in Florida by Randall Lowe, Golden Pal is out of the start turf sprinting mare Lady Shipman. He has won eight of his 12 lifetime starts for earnings of $1,815,131.
“It's just like any other great athlete in any sport,” Ward continued. “Of all the horses I've ever trained – and fast ones – he's just unbelievable, just an extreme talent. The athleticism he has; he's just like a cat when he moves for such a big colt. He's got a brilliant mind to him as well. I really look forward to what he's going to be as a stallion. He's so smart in the barn, so quick and agile – I really look forward to his babies here.”
Oceanic closed to finish second under jockey Julien Leparoux for trainer Jordan Blair, defeating third-place finisher Artemus Citylimits by a nose.
“I would say that effort puts him in the Breeders' Cup,” Blair said of the runner-up. “It is nearly impossible to beat Golden Pal but you can't win it if you're not in it. I thought (Oceanic) would be a little closer to the front, but they were going so fast and Golden Pal was doing it so easy.”
The full order of finish is as follows: Golden Pal, Oceanic, Artemus Citylimites, (DH) Bad Beat Brian, (DH) Gear Jockey, Charcoal, All In Sync, County Final, and Cadamosto.
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