Woody Stephens Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Week in Review: The Day That Jack Christopher and Flightline Stole the Show

After winning the GII Remsen S. and the GII Wood Memorial S. and running a credible fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby, Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) put it all together on Saturday. He was the decisive winner of the GI Belmont S. to give New Yorker Mike Repole a one-two finish in the final leg of the Triple Crown at his home track. It was a good story and a good performance from a very good horse.

It was not, however, the highlight of the day.

It's hard to overshadow a Triple Crown race, but that's exactly what happened Saturday at Belmont Park, where we saw a pair of performances from two special horses that are freakishly fast and talented. It's rare when horses can live up to the hype, but Flightline (Tapit) and Jack Christopher (Munnings) didn't meet expectations, they shattered them. These are superstars.

As impressive as Flightline had been in his first three starts, he came into the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. with something to prove. He had won the GI Runhappy Malibu S., but that was against 3-year-olds and at seven furlongs. The Met was an entirely differently story. Though there were just five horses in the field, the competition included GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun), GI Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Happy Saver (Super Saver) and the hottest horse on the East Coast, GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense).

It was going to be the first true test of his brief career and the test became even more daunting when he broke a step slow. That kept him from getting the lead, which was where jockey Flavien Prat wanted his horse to be. Riding the rail, Prat tried to squeeze past Speaker's Corner but it didn't work. Flightline had to regroup, take back and come around Speaker's Corner. None of it mattered. He swept past a fading Speaker's Corner on the turn and proceeded to gallop away from the field to win by six lengths over Happy Saver. He's not just good, he's tenacious.

Flightline earned a 112 Beyer speed figure.

While it may seem sacrilegious to say that a horse who has only run four times is among the best horses we've ever seen, in the case of Flightline, it doesn't seem like a stretch. That's how dominant he's been and how fast he has run. Horses that can do what he can do come around once in a decade, if even that.

How good is Jack Christopher? We still don't know.

He showed a tremendous amount of potential when winning the GI Champagne S. last year but a shin problem kept him out of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He had to have surgery, so he was not ready for the Triple Crown races. Instead, trainer Chad Brown took his time and had Jack Christopher ready for the GII Pat Day Mile on Derby Day. He won the Pat Day Mile by 3 3/4 lengths and was arguably the best 3-year-old to perform that day at Churchill Downs.

Not ready to go a 1 1/2 miles, Jack Christopher bypassed the Belmont and was sent to the GI Woody Stephens S. at seven furlongs. As good as he had been in his three prior starts, it was the Woody Stephens where he made a statement. He won by 10 lengths and earned a 107 Beyer, nine points higher than the number given to Mo Donegal. Once again, he was the best 3-year-old to perform on the card.

The Belmont is the unofficial ending of the first half of the season and the second half figures to include some of the best races we have seen in some time.

As for the 3-year-olds, it's been hard to define who's the best of the group since so many horses ducked one or more of the Triple Crown races. Starting with the GI Haskell S., which is expected to attract Jack Christopher, that should change. This year, the Haskell, the GII Jim Dandy S., the GI Runhappy Travers S. and the GI Pennsylvania Derby may turn out to be more important than the Triple Crown races. You might just get a race that includes some combination of Jack Christopher, Rich Strike (Keen Ice), Early Voting (Gun Runner), Mo Donegal and the division's unluckiest horse, Epicenter (Not This Time).

It's not clear yet where Flightline will run next. The GI Whitney H. at 1 1/8 miles seems like the perfect spot but after the Belmont, co-owner Kostas Hronis mentioned the GI Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles when asked about Flightline's next race. Considering that he's by Tapit and probably better suited to those distances and two-turn races than what he has been running in, there's every chance he might even get better. It's a scary thought.

The older-horse division also includes Life Is Good (Into Mischief), who looked so good when winning the GI Pegasus World Cup, where he thrashed Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter). After running fourth in the G1 Dubai World Cup, he's scheduled to come back in the July 2 GII John A. Nerud S. at Belmont before going in the Whitney. And don't forget about Country Grammer (Tonalist), the winner of the Dubai World Cup. He'll resurface soon.

A lot can happen between now and the Breeders' Cup Classic and the key for every horse is that they have to stay healthy. But there's a chance that the Classic could include Flightline, Jack Christopher, Life Is Good, Country Grammer, Rich Strike, Early Voting, Mo Donegal, Epicenter and a bunch of other really good horses. Let's hope so. It could be one of the best fields ever assembled.

Super Trainers Dominate at Belmont

While it's nice to see a “little guy” like trainer Eric Reed win the Kentucky Derby, the reality is that the “super trainers” have become more dominant than ever. The very best horses in the sport are concentrated in the hands of just a few trainers, which is not a good thing.

The top four trainers in the nation in terms of earnings combined to win seven of the nine graded stakes run Saturday at Belmont. Steve Asmussen, who is first, won the GI Ogden Phipps S. with Clairiere (Curlin). Chad Brown, who is second, won the GI Woody Stephens with Jack Christopher, the GI Just A Game S. with Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and the GI Manhattan S. with Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}). Pletcher, who is third, won the Belmont and the Brooklyn S. with Fearless (Ghostzapper). Fourth-place holder Brad Cox won the GI Acorn S. with Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile).

Mike Maker, who is fifth in the earnings standings, did not have a Belmont day winner. Bill Mott, who is sixth, did. He won the GI Jaipur S. with Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed). John Sadler, who is the trainer of Flightline and is 19th in the standings, was the only trainer not among the top six in earnings to win a stakes race. Brown, Asmussen and Cox also won graded stakes Friday at Belmont.

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Joseph Targeting Grade 1 Stakes At Saratoga For Drain The Clock, Mischevious Alex

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock kept an unbeaten record around one-turn intact when outdueling Jackie's Warrior to capture the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency on Saturday's Belmont Stakes day card at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The chestnut sophomore son of Maclean's Music arrived at the seven-furlong event off an in-hand victory in the Grade 3 Bay Shore on April 3 at Aqueduct.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said Drain the Clock emerged from his third graded stakes score in good order and will now target the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 25 at Saratoga Race Course.

“He came out of the race well. He ran a big race yesterday,” Joseph said. “That was the first time he got involved in a duel and the horse he dueled with normally doesn't get beat when he duels. It was a gutsy performance.”

Following victories in the Limehouse and Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park, Drain the Clock stretched out in distance in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, where he finished second beaten 1 ½ lengths to Greatest Honour. Following such an effort, Joseph cut him back to one turn.

“It paid off yesterday and justified for not pushing the issue,” Joseph said.

Primarily based at Gulfstream Park year round, Joseph said Drain the Clock would most likely remain at Belmont Park for the time being.

“He'll breeze in three weeks, that's what we did last time,” said Joseph. “That was the first time we had so many breezes into a race and he seems to thrive off that. I would say most likely he'll stay here, but it's not set in stone yet.”

Later on the card, Joseph saddled Mischevious Alex to a close third in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Although the son of Into Mischief captured the Grade 3 Gotham in March 2020 going a one-turn mile, Joseph said the horse's better runs are going an eighth to a quarter of a mile shorter. He plans on targeting the Grade 1, $350,000 A.G. Vanderbilt on July 31 and the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego, both at Saratoga Race Course, are the next goals moving forward.

“I think a mile might be stretching him at top class,” Joseph said. “I truly believe that going six or seven furlongs he's one the best in the country. He ran his race, and we'll aim for the two Grade 1 races at Saratoga and then hopefully the Breeders' Cup Sprint.”

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Drain The Clock Outlasts Jackie’s Warrior To Win Woody Stephens Stakes

The Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park was a slugfest between sons of Hill 'n' Dale Farms' Maclean's Music on Saturday, with Drain the Clock getting the best of favorite Jackie's Warrior in the deep stretch.

Drain the Clock grabbed the lead out of the gate, and set a hot pace through the first furlong of the backstretch before being joined by Jackie's Warrior on the inside. Jackie's Warrior wrestled the lead away from Drain the Clock as they passed the opening quarter in :22.09 seconds.

Jackie's Warrior was in the driver's seat heading into the turn in the seven-furlong race, with Drain the Clock on his outside hip. Jockey Joel Rosario drifted Jackie's Warrior wide as they hit the crux of the turn, and floated Drain the Clock out with him.

The opening half-mile went by in a blistering :44.19 seconds, and the pair were several paths wide entering the home stretch. Behind them, Dream Shake had a clear path on the rail and Nova Rags was advancing through a wide trip, but neither would contend with the two leaders.

Jackie's Warrior continued to keep Drain the Clock at bay after three-quarters of a mile in 1:08.88, at which point jockey Jose Ortiz, who picked up the mount in place of his injured brother Irad, started asking Drain the Clock in earnest. Drain the Clock drew even with a game Jackie's Warrior inside the final furlong, and he carried on to win by a neck. Nova Rags was 7 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up.

Drain the Clock completed the seven-furlong race in 1:22.27 over a good main track. He paid $17 to win as the field's fourth choice.

With the Woody Stephens victory, Drain the Clock improved his lifetime record to six wins in eight starts for earnings of $539,550. Saturday's race was the latest rung in what has been a steady climbing of the ladder for the colt in 2021, starting with a 7 1/2-length drubbing of the black type Limehouse Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 2. He carried on to win the G3 Swale Stakes by 6 1/4 lengths, then stretched out to two turns to finish second in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. He headed into the Woody Stephens off a return to one-turn racing in the G3 Bay Shore Stakes, which he won in a front-running trip.

Drain the Clock is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., for owners Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Nentwig. He was bred in Kentucky by Nick Cosato, out of the Arch mare Manki.

To view the Equibase chart, click here.

G1 Woody Stephens Quotes, Courtesy of the NYRA Notes Team

Saffie Joseph, Jr., winning trainer of Drain the Clock (No. 2, $17): “We talked it over so much with [co-owner] Nick Cosato [of Slam Dunk Racing] and he wanted to break well and use him for the lead. We just left it up to Jose [Ortiz]. We told him the break was important and to make Rosario [aboard Jackie's Warrior, No. 3] make a decision. If they're going to let you lead, lead.

“Obviously, Jackie's Warrior missed the break and after that he ran up on the inside and we were in a good spot. If we were good enough then we were going to win. At the quarter pole, I thought we were going to be second. It looked like he was backing up a little bit. He dug in after that, and then Jackie's Warrior wouldn't give up. All credit to the horse.”

On taking a departure from the Triple Crown trail: “This is the benefit of making a tough decision because he got 20 points [for the Kentucky Derby] and he could have picked up more. Would he have won? Probably not. That's stretching him. After that, it was just cut back. We figured let's have a good horse at one turn.”

On a potential start in the Grade 2, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 28 at Saratoga: “That's the plan.”

Jose Ortiz, winning jockey aboard Drain the Clock (No. 2): “If [Joel] Rosario [on Jackie's Warrior] wanted the lead, I'd rather have him rush inside of me. It was my game plan to break better, outrun him out of the gate in the first couple jumps and go as far out as I could, as long as I was clear. I wasn't planning to mess with anybody; you can see as soon as Rosario came back in, I came back in. I didn't want him outside of me putting pressure on me the whole way.”

On the stretch-duel between Drain the Clock and Jackie's Warrior: “It was great. It's great for racing. That's what it's all about, people want to come here to see those kinds of duels. It was a great race, everybody gave their best. I'm just happy we came out with the win and I'm happy filling in for Irad [Ortiz] and not messing it up. He told me the horse was very classy, Saffie was great, and the owner was great, too. The owner was the one that told me if you can outrun him out of the gate and make him go inside, that would be great, to have him inside of us.”

Joel Rosario, jockey aboard runner-up Jackie's Warrior (No. 3): “He just kind of stumbled a little bit coming out of the gate and missed the break. Then he went and did his best, but I think the break out of the gate was the key. He still ran his race.”

Junior Alvarado, jockey aboard third-place finisher Nova Rags (No. 1): “The track is still playing a little bit to the fast side, which will benefit horses on the lead. My horse broke good and I let him settle and make a run. He was there for me. He was trying for me at the end.”

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Mischevious Alex, Drain The Clock Drill For Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Engagements

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. breezed Mischevious Alex and Drain the Clock Sunday at Florida's Gulfstream Park in preparation for starts at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival this coming week at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex worked a half-mile in company in 48.72 seconds on the fast main track in his final breeze for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap.

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock also worked a half-mile in company in 48.68.

Joseph said the breeze was easier by design for both after working the two talented colts head-and-head on May 23 through five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.81 on the Gulfstream main track.

“We didn't want either of them to overdo anything so we paired them with lesser workmates today,” said Joseph. “The last time they worked together they went head and head the whole way.”

Joseph said Mischevious Alex is coming into the Met Mile, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, in top form following his impressive score in the G1 Carter Handicap on April 3 at the Big A that garnered a career-best 109 Beyer.

“They caught him in 48 and change and he got the last quarter in 23 and 1, so it went well,” said Joseph. “He's in good form. We're hoping he can run a race as good as last time. If he does, I think we're going over there with a good chance.”

Drain the Clock, who has won 5-of-7 starts, is targeting the G1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau Country Industrial Development Agency, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores.

Joseph said the Maclean's Music chestnut, who matched a career-best 86 Beyer last out winning the Grade 3 Bay Shore on April 3 at the Big A, is in good order.

“He's plenty fit,” said Joseph. “He looked good working and he is coming into the race in good form at a distance that he's been successful. He'll have to run his career best, but we feel like he's sitting on his career best.”

Joseph will also be represented at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival by Sweet Bye and Bye in Thursday's G3, $200,000 Intercontinental, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for older fillies and mares; and by Queen Nekia in the G1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps at 1 1/16-miles on Big Sandy for older fillies and mares which offers a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” berth to the Distaff.

Joseph said the colts will fly to New York on Wednesday, while the mares will begin their journey by van later today.

The Florida-based conditioner, who has stalls at Belmont for the first time, has three wins and three thirds from nine starts at the Belmont spring/summer meet. He praised assistant trainer Sabine Langvad for the strong early showing.

“Our horses have been in good form and running good. Even the ones that didn't win have performed credibly,” said Joseph, Jr. “Sabine works hard and has a lot of passion for what she does.”

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