On Oct. 9, just one day after the start of the Keeneland fall meet, the racing program will be loaded with multiple top-level events—one of those being the $200,000 Woodford Stakes Presented by TVG (G2T).
Though the 5 1/2-furlong turf race is not part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, it could have Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) implications, having drawn a field of seven led by 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) winner Golden Pal and Extravagant Kid.
Golden Pal, owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg and trained by Wesley Ward, drew post 2 in his first Keeneland start since his Breeders' Cup score last fall. The Uncle Mo colt, one of just two 3-year-olds in the lineup, will be guided by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.
After weakening to seventh at York in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (G1), the speedy Golden Pal aims to regroup in America. He has never lost a domestic turf race in three outings. Besides the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, he won the Skidmore Stakes last year as a 2-year-old and the Quick Call Stakes (G3T) this year at 3, both at Saratoga Race Course.
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Under Jose Ortiz, Extravagant Kid will break from post 6 on Saturday. Owned by DARRS, the 8-year-old dark bay gelding by Kiss the Kid has earned more than $1.6 million in his career and was runner- up in the Woodford last year. Trained by Brendan Walsh, he won the Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored by Azizi Developments (G1) this year in March. He then ventured overseas again a couple of months later to run third in the King's Stand (G1) at Royal Ascot before disappointing with a 14th in the Darley July Cup (G1) at Newmarket.
"He stayed in Europe for the two races, and I have found shipping horses overseas they seem to run best straight off the plane," Walsh said. "Then they seem to hit a little lull after that. In the Darley Cup, he was poorly drawn and never got covered up."
Extravagant Kid is winless in five turf races at Keeneland, though he has run well at the Lexington oval on numerous occasions. Following his second in the Woodford last year, he ran fourth, beaten a length, in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) last fall at Keeneland.
Steve Asmussen trainee County Final will be up against Golden Pal once more after finishing sixth behind the favorite in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Three months before his defeat at Keeneland, the Oxbow gelding won the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park. Owned in partnership by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, and Anna Marie Shannon, County Final will break from post 7 under Ricardo Santana Jr.
Johnny Unleashed, Inhalation, Firecrow, and Charcoal round out the field for Saturday's Woodford. The race has a post time of 3:40 p.m. ET as the sixth race, the first stakes race of the afternoon.
Keeneland, Saturday, October 9, 2021, Race 6Entries: Woodford S. Presented by TVG (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Johnny Unleashed (KY) Gerardo Corrales 120 Eric N. Foster 20/1 2 2Golden Pal (FL) John R. Velazquez 118 Wesley A. Ward 4/5 3 3Inhalation (GB) Adam Beschizza 120 Edward Vaughan 30/1 4 4Firecrow (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 120 Ron Moquett 9/2 5 5Charcoal (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 120 Tracey J. Wisner 20/1 6 6Extravagant Kid (FL) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Brendan P. Walsh 5/2 7 7County Final (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Steven M. Asmussen 5/1
