No trainer loved speed more than Woody Stephens, whose Hall of Fame legacy included great frontrunners Conquistador Cielo, Danzig and Devil's Bag. Woody would have enjoyed watching Englishman on June 6 in the Grade I stakes named in his honor.
The son of Maxfield pressed the pace of Solitude Dude through a half-mile in 43.97 seconds on the way to equaling Saratoga's 7-furlong track record of 1:20.40 set by Darby Creek Road in 1978. Englishman's 5 3/4-length runaway produced a Beyer Speed Figure of 115, the highest by a 3-year-old this year. Fittingly, it came on the undercard of the Belmont Stakes (G1), the race Woody won five straight years (1982 through 1986), a record that will never be broken.
Englishman returns Saturday in the 7-furlong, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial for 3-year-olds, another Grade 1 named for an immortal trainer of the 20th century. The Jerkens begins an all-stakes pick 6, and if you're going to play it, strongly consider using Englishman as a single. He's 3-5 in the morning line and might go off lower than that.
“He's training well and he looks great,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “He's just naturally a fast horse and he's got such a high cruising speed. He just has to make his trip, try to relax and save something for the end.
“I think 7 furlongs is his perfect distance, so I'm just looking forward to seeing him out there again.”
He's 3-for-4 in his brief career, including 2-for-2 going seven-eighths of a mile, a distance that requires stamina as well as speed. Englishman's defeat came when he tried going a furlong farther in the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard.
He set the pace in his first three races, which probably will be jockey Jose Ortiz's approach in the Allen Jerkens. After the Woody Stephens, Ortiz said, “When I asked him to go, he was there for me. It was pretty amazing. Very impressive.”
Solitude Dude (6-1) again will take on Englishman, as will Local Knowledge (4-1) and Deep Flame (3-1), a recent winner of the 7-furlong Maxfield Stakes (G3) by 5 3/4 lengths at Churchill Downs.
Local Knowledge, trained by Todd Pletcher, edged Solitude Dude by a head last out in the 6½-furlong Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga. “That was a gutsy effort in only his third start,” Pletcher said.
Cox is high on Deep Flame. “Excited about him,” he said. “Hopefully, he can fire another big number.”
Post time for the H. Allen Jerkens, race 8, 3:19 p.m.
1 Stickupwithoutagun (Manny Franco, Ilkay Kantarmaci), 30-1
2 Deep Flame (Flavien Prat, Brad Cox), 3-1
3 Solitude Dude (Tyler Gaffalione, Saffie Joseph, Jr.), 6-1
4 Englishman (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux), 3-5
5 Local Knowledge (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher), 4-1
6 Amberjack (Javier Castellano, Jorge Delgado), 30-1
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
