Englishman Equals Track Record With Brilliant Woody Stephens Victory
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Englishman avenged his only defeat and displayed a new level of maturity on Saturday at Saratoga, charging from just off the pace to dominate the $500,000 Grade 1 Woody Stephens, winning by 5¾ lengths over rival Crude Velocity in a record-tying performance.
Englishman began his career with two clear victories before meeting Crude Velocity in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day. In that race, he was no match for the 3-2 favorite, finishing nearly four lengths behind while still best of the rest in his graded stakes debut.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux, who later the same day would win the Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo, said she was confident Englishman could turn the tables when shortening back to seven furlongs for the Woody Stephens — and he did exactly that.
With Jose Ortiz aboard, Englishman broke sharply, then relaxed just off the early pace set by Solitude Dude. He engaged the leader midway around the turn, took command, shifted out toward the center of the track exiting the bend, and then drew away impressively once asked in the stretch. He drifted inward late but continued to extend his lead all the way to the wire.
Englishman stopped the clock in 1:20.40over a fast track, officially equaling — and likely surpassing — the track record set by Darby Creek Road on August 8, 1978, when times were measured in fifths of a second rather than hundredths.
Crude Velocity broke awkwardly and took time to find his stride before moving into contention between horses on the backstretch. He advanced into striking range entering the stretch but couldn’t maintain his bid, holding off Obliteration by a nose for second while suffering the first loss of his four-race career.
Englishman, a 3-year-old colt trained by DeVaux for C R K Stable LLC, returned $10.56.
DeVaux said she was not surprised by either the near-record time or the dominant performance.
“He almost broke the track record at the Fair Grounds while wrapped up, and I feel in the right situation he can go a mile,” DeVaux said. “In his last start, he never really got a chance to breathe, and he was able to relax today. That’s what made the difference. I feel the sky’s the limit for him right now, but I believe at the moment that’s at six or seven furlongs.”
DeVaux was also pleased with how Englishman adapted when he didn’t immediately make the lead.
“We were happy to be outside the horses expected to go with him. He has such a high cruising speed that I told Jose, if someone else wants to go, let them — just get him to relax outside. Crude Velocity is a very talented horse and I expected him to come, but at that distance, I was very confident in Englishman.”
Florent Geroux, who has ridden Crude Velocity in all four starts, said his mount simply found himself second best.
“I knew Englishman was the horse to beat at this distance,” Geroux said. “He has more speed than my horse. The cutback didn’t help [Crude Velocity], and the track has been playing very speed-favoring all week. I’m not surprised — the speed carried, and that was the difference.”
