Darley Stable’s WOODLANDER (Forestry) dueled with Reel Legend (Catrail) for
the lead in Sunday’s $109,700
Lexington S. (G3) at Belmont Park, took over by
the time a half-mile had been reached in :50 1/5 and never looked back en route
to a three-quarter-of-a-length victory. With Edgar Prado in the irons, the Tom Albertrani-trained sophomore set splits of 1:14 2/5 for six furlongs
and 1:38 for the mile before finishing 10 furlongs in 2:01 4/5.
Woodlander was sent off as the near 5-1 fourth choice in the six-horse field
and paid $11.60, $5.10 and $4.40. Reel Legend got the first split in :24 3/5 and
held well for second, returning $5 and $3.90 while ending the $68 exacta. Prince
Rahy (Rahy) rounded out the $290.50 trifecta (6-1-7) and was worth $4.20 for
coming in another 3 1/4 lengths back in third. Big Prairie (Danzig), Im
Spartacus (GB) (Namaqualand) and Dynaglider (Dynaformer) finished out the order
under the wire after Monopoly Pricing (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) and First Word
(Chester House) were withdrawn.
Woodlander pushed his earnings to $138,930 to go along with a 8-3-2-0 career
mark while taking his stakes debut here. Bred in Kentucky by Mike Connelly, the
bay colt brought $350,000 from his current connections as a Keeneland September
yearling. He is the second registered foal out of the unraced Kingmambo mare
Madam Lagonza and has an unnamed yearling half-brother by Johannesburg as well
as a 2005 unnamed half-sister by Mineshaft.
Albertrani said that Woodlander could go next in the National Museum of
Racing and Hall of Fame S. (G2) on August 8 at Saratoga.