The Woodward (Grade 2)- $400.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
September 28, 2024

On Saturday at the Big A, we will have either the seventh or the 22nd running of the Woodward, which is for three-year-olds and upwards on the main track. The confusion can come in due to the fact that the game separates the 2006-2020 editions run at SAR from the regular Woodward history. The current race is under stake ID 189, but if you want to check out the full history, you’ll need to check out stake ID 1020. Many greats have won the race at all three tracks it has been at, including Whats Up twice, Maruzensky, A One, Atomic Twister, and Tactical. Last year, Spankersville grabbed the win for The Sidley Stud, and he will be looking for a repeat performance this time around. We’ll have seven heading to the starting gate, and here’s a look at them!

1- West Lunacy Party (Black N Gold Stable, ridden by F Geroux)- After a successful career in overnights, this six-year-old gelding made his graded debut last month in the Grade 3 WV Governors Stakes and nearly pulled it off but had to settle for second. It was technically not his first stake try, since in September 2022 he had been in one, but his effort last time out showed that he was not out of place, at all. This is a stronger field, so it will be interesting to see how he follows that up.

2- Test The Waters (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Just finished looking at the Hirsch Turf Classic, and Test The Waters could have fit in that as well, as he ran fourth in the Nashville Derby last time out, but he has done most of his running on the main track this year. A strong season in KYD preps saw him run second in the FL Derby as well as winning the Withers to not only qualify him for that race but to also be one that the trainer chose to enter in it. Disappointed there but was a photo finish away from winning the PRK. So, he’s better than his 2-for-15 record suggests, but he is overdue for a win.

3- Team Leader (Fractious, ridden by J Lezcano)- In March, Team Leader won the Grade 2 San Felipe at SA, a result that would get him into the KYD. He ran better in that than Test The Waters did, but still only placed tenth. Bypassed the PRK, but then showed up in the BEL to run third. Since then, he’s disappointed, with a head scratcher of a race in the Haskell and then finishing in the middle of the pack at the Pacific Classic. At least that effort was better, but he could really use at least a top three finish here.

4- Lunar Victory (Fractious, ridden by D E Centeno)- The two Fractious will start side by side here, and for Lunar Victory, he will be looking for his third win in four starts. When we lost saw him, it was at the bullring at CT for the CT Classic, where he ran near the back early and come on to win with a 102 SRF along the way. His other victory in that stretch saw a wire-to-wire win in the slop at the Grade 3 Blame. Between them, is a dud in the Grade 2 Brooklyn, and unfortunately, this will happen with Lunar Victory from time to time. Hopefully it wasn’t because he didn’t like the track.

5- Dangerous Fugitive (Night Rider Stables, ridden by D Davis)- After a very consistent career of finishing in the top three for other trainers, Dangerous Fugitive was picked up by Night Rider Stables at the start of the year and has been able to continue his very consistent ways. However, with Night Rider, the challenges have been more difficult, as the gelding has only been entered at the stake level, something he had never been in previously. No wins yet, but he’s been productive. Of course, a lot of that is on the turf but he works fine on the main track.

6- Spankersville (The Sidley Stud, ridden by S Elliott)- Last year, Spankersville took home the win here in the Woodward fresh off of winning the JC Gold Cup. This year, he is in the Woodward again, and like before, it comes after a win in the JC Gold Cup. It’s been a great six-year-old campaign for the Ginger Haggis horse, with four wins over six races, with other victories including the Grade 1 Gold Cup at SA and the Grade 3 MTH Cup. He’s earned over $4,600.000 for his career and still seems to be on top of his game. Should be the clear favorite here.

7- Face The Lunatic (Martyparty, ridden by F T Alvarado)- In August at SAR, Face The Lunatic opened up a lot of eyes with an impressive four length romp in the $150.000 Birdstone. He was already an accomplished graded runner at that point, but to win any stake at SAR by that margin on a fast track is very noteworthy. Off of that, he would meet tougher competition in the Spa at the Grade 1 JC Gold Cup. In that, he ran well, running a length behind Spankersville in a second-place effort. This is slightly shorter, but there is no reason to think he couldn’t make up that length here.

Prediction: 6-7-4-2

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES