On the first Saturday of Saratoga’s meet, LAWYER RON (Langfuhr) rolled to a 4
3/4-length score in the Whitney H. (G1) in track-record time. The Todd Pletcher
charge will bid for an encore in the $500,000 Woodward S. (G1) on the Spa’s
final Saturday card, while five of his Whitney victims will try to turn the
tables.
Last year, Lawyer Ron ranked among the leading Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders
after capturing the Risen Star S. (G3), Southwest S., Rebel S. (G3) and Arkansas
Derby (G2) for Bob Holthus. After finishing 12th in the Run for the Roses, the
chestnut returned to take the St. Louis Derby and finish second in the Super
Derby (G2). Lawyer Ron was then transferred to Pletcher, and the headstrong colt
wound up fading to ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Pletcher has worked on getting Lawyer Ron to relax, and that has paid
dividends this season. Successful in an allowance/optional claimer in his 2007
debut at Gulfstream, he stormed to a four-length victory in the Oaklawn H. (G2).
Lawyer Ron made a menacing move in the Metropolitan H. (G1), only to settle for
third, then found himself too far back early in the Salvator Mile S. (G3), but
flew home in the stretch to miss by a neck. He put it all together in
devastating fashion in the Whitney, tracking the pace and kicking clear of the
field while reeling off 1 1/8 miles in a sizzling 1:46 3/5.
His trainer is hoping that Lawyer Ron will not regress off that performance.
“Anytime you are coming off a top career race and a track record-setting
performance at Saratoga, you are concerned that you are going to run as well as
he did that day,” Pletcher said. “He might not have to run as well to win.”
Lawyer Ron was stuck in post 10 in the Whitney, but for the 1 1/8-mile
Woodward, he has drawn the rail. John Velazquez will be back aboard.
Pletcher will also send out Grade 2 veteran MAGNA GRADUATE (Honor Grades),
who checked in sixth in the Whitney as the lukewarm 4-1 favorite.
“The one thing this horse is not crazy about is being stuck inside,” Pletcher
said regarding his charge’s midpack finish. “He got stuck inside the whole way.
Obviously, it was a large field, and everyone was spread out in front of him.
Therefore, he was unable to get into position. He actually had to steady at the
eighth-pole, which arguably cost him a second place.”
Two starts back, when Magna Graduate was able to find clear sailing on the
outside, he was a hard-charging runner-up in the Stephen Foster H. (G1). Garrett
Gomez will try to navigate from post 3.
Whitney runner-up WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold) is another member of the
revenge-minded brigade. A wire-to-wire winner of the Brooklyn Breeders’ Cup H.
(G2) last year, the Nick Zito trainee posted a front-running score in the
Alysheba S. (G3) in his six-year-old bow. Wanderin Boy tired to fifth in the
Stephen Foster, but he came right back with an excellent effort in the Whitney,
running everyone ragged except Lawyer Ron. The chestnut figures to flash speed
from post 6 beneath a returning Rafael Bejarano.
Zito is also pinning his hopes on multiple Grade 2 scorer SUN KING
(Charismatic). The dark bay came within inches of beating Invasor (Arg) in last
year’s Whitney, but he wasn’t able to duplicate that effort this time around,
crossing the wire as a distant 10th.
“Sun King had a bad trip,” Zito said. “He got impeded immediately coming out
of the gate, and he got hit in the eye with a dirt clog. We’re hoping he can run
better.”
Alan Garcia picks up the mount on Sun King, who will try to improve on his
third in the 2006 running of the Woodward. Note that Zito is removing his
blinkers.
Grade 3 hero DIAMOND STRIPES (Notebook), a lightly raced four-year-old from
the powerful Richard Dutrow barn, is exiting a third in the Whitney. In his
prior start, the gray gelding had finished a close third in the Stephen Foster.
BRASS HAT (Prized), a track record-setting victor of the 2006 Donn H. (G1),
reported home eighth in the Whitney. On that day, the six-year-old gelding was
making just the second start of his comeback from a sesamoid injury, within
three weeks of breaking a track record at Churchill Downs in his reappearance.
The other two Woodward aspirants have not been seen since the Suburban H.
(G1) at Belmont. POLITICAL FORCE (Unbridled’s Song) swept to a 1 1/4-length
decision in that 1 1/4-mile event, while Met Mile winner CORINTHIAN (Pulpit)
retreated to finish last of six as the 3-2 choice.
“I don’t know what happened to him in the Suburban,” trainer Jimmy Jerkens
said of Corinthian. “He stayed with them up to a mile where they went 1:34 (and
4/5), and then he stopped. There’s really no answer for what he does in those
races.”
Political Force is trained by Allen Jerkens, Jimmy’s father, producing a
friendly family rivalry. Before beating Corinthian in the Suburban, Political
Force had finished second to him in the Met Mile, and the Woodward will be their
rubber match.
The complete field for the 54th Woodward comprises Lawyer Ron; Diamond
Stripes, with Edgar Prado; Magna Graduate; Sun King; Corinthian, Kent Desormeaux;
Wanderin Boy; Political Force, Cornelio Velasquez; and Brass Hat, Willie
Martinez.
All starters will carry 126 pounds.