Sand Devil breezes for G2 Wood Memorial pres. by Resorts World Casino

• Sand Devil breezes for G2 Wood Memorial pres. by Resorts World Casino
• T Kraft earns career-best 86 BSF for Jimmy Winkfield
• Statesman eyes G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino

Chester Broman, Sr.’s New York homebred Sand Devil had his first work back since a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Gotham on March 1, covering a half-mile in 49 seconds flat in company on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Trained by Linda Rice, Sand Devil is targeting the nine-furlong Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack, a 100-50-25-15-10 qualifier for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

“He went nice, went out five-eighths in 1:01 and 2, galloped out three-quarters in 13 and 3 – we were very happy,” Rice said of the work. “He stayed with the company for about a half-mile and then went on by himself. We are headed towards the Wood Memorial, and things are going the right way.”

The chestnut son of Violence was handed his first career defeat by Flood Zone in the one-turn mile Gotham, where he stumbled at the break under regular pilot Jose Lezcano and rushed up to engage in a three-way battle for the lead with Flood Zone and Normandy Coast. Sand Devil stuck his head in front at the three-quarters call before being collared by Flood Zone heading into the stretch, and was defeated by 3 1/4 lengths while 1 3/4 lengths clear of third-place Garamond. Sand Devil was awarded 25 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the effort.

“We felt like things didn’t unfold perfectly for him, but there’s no shame in being second in the Gotham,” Rice said. “He stumbled at the break and then rushed up and was head-and-head for the lead. Nothing went perfectly, but we still got 25 points.”

Sand Devil entered the Gotham undefeated in three starts against state-breds at the Big A, beginning with a debut graduation on December 8 sprinting six furlongs. He then romped by 12 1/2-lengths in a one-turn mile optional claimer on January 2, and aced his first stakes test in the seven-furlong Damon Runyon when edging National Identity in the final jumps on February 8.

Rice said she is cautiously optimistic Sand Devil will relish a stretch-out to two turns in the Wood Memorial.

“You have to wait and see. We’re hopeful it will suit him and that the easier fractions might be helpful, but you never know until you send them out there,” Rice said.

Rice is also likely to start Ronald Stewart’s multiple stakes-placed mare St. Benedicts Prep in the seven-furlong Grade 3, $175,000 Distaff on the April 5 Wood Memorial card.

The 5-year-old Flatter bay has hit the board in four consecutive stakes, including a last-out nose defeat to Sunday Girl in the six-furlong Correction on March 2 here. St. Benedicts Prep also finished third in the Listed Barbara Fritchie on February 15 and second in the What A Summer on January 18, with both Laurel Park efforts surrounding a runner-up finish in the local Interborough on January 25. 

“She’s doing well and she’s been really solid. She’s had several stakes placings and we’re hoping for some graded black type,” Rice said.

St. Benedicts Prep was an $80,000 claim for Rice out of a win in April at Keeneland. She has hit the board in 10-of-12 starts for her current connections, including a pair of allowance level wins at Saratoga Race Course last summer and an optional claiming coup in January at the Big A.

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T Kraft earns career-best 86 BSF for Jimmy Winkfield
 
LRE Racing’s T Kraft earned a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure for his first stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Jimmy Winkfield, a six-furlong sprint for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
 
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the Connect bay earned his third consecutive local sprint victory when edging Saxton by a neck in a final time of 1:12.32. T Kraft’s win streak began with a sixth-out graduation going six furlongs in January before a 6 1/2-furlong optional-claiming coup on February 14.
 
Leana Willaford, Mott’s Belmont Park-based assistant, confirmed T Kraft exited the race in good order.
 
“He came back good,” said Willaford. “He ate up good and looks good this morning. We are happy with him. He ran really well. He had been training well and we expected him to do well, and he did so.”
 
Bred in Kentucky by Dr. John Eaton and Dr. Steve Laymon, T Kraft, a $110,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Johannesburg mare Margarita Friday, making him a half-brother to the 2024 Champion Male Sprinter Straight No Chaser and stakes-winner Hangover Saturday.
 
“He is a half to a very good sprinter, who won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last year, so it makes sense,” Willaford said of the colt’s sprint abilities. “So far, so good. We will see what Mr. Mott and [owner] Mr. Einsidler decide to do next.”
 
Aqueduct offers the Listed $150,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores, on April 19.
 
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Statesman eyes G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino
 
West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing and CJ Stables’ Statesman is under strong consideration for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, on April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
 
The Wood Memorial awards 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.
 
Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the Constitution bay won his last two starts traveling one mile and 40 yards at Tampa Bay Downs, graduating fourth-out on January 17 and defeating optional claiming company last out on February 26. In both efforts, Statesman traveled in fifth position early before a late surge to victory under Samuel Marin.
 
“Well, Shug is obviously the leader of the band, but I know he is very, very intrigued by the Wood Memorial,” said Terry Finley, CEO of co-owner West Point Thoroughbreds. “We talk quite a bit and he thinks that surface up there is going to fit this horse very well. Shug didn’t expect this, he sent him to Tampa for kind of a confidence boost and he ran really well, then came right back and put a good second effort in and ran a big number, so who knows?”
 
Finley believes Statesman deserves a shot in the historic Wood Memorial off a career-best 78 Beyer Speed Figure.
 
“Of course he has to step his game up and will have to beat better horses in the Wood than he did at Tampa, but I think he’s in the zone. He is a horse who seems to be getting better and better, and has a really, really good turn of foot,” said Finley. “We’ll see how he measures up against what looks like it could be a really nice field of horses in the Wood.”
 
Finley credits McGaughey’s patient approach for allowing Statesman to develop. He was third in his off-the-turf one-mile debut in early August at Saratoga Race Course before an off-the-board finish traveling two-turns on turf later that month there. He was fourth going one mile in November at Gulfstream Park before his Tampa triumphs.
 
“He is a horse that wouldn’t have benefited from being rushed. We ran him last year in his first start in an off-the-turf race, and he finished a decent third. We thought he would be a work in progress and a project-type horse,” Finley said. “Then all of a sudden that project turned favorable right at the beginning of the year. They are not all cut out to win at Saratoga as two-year-olds.”
 
Bred by West Point Thoroughbreds and St. Elias Stables, Statesman, out of the Grade 1-winning Empire Maker mare Icon Project, is a half-brother to graded stakes winner Fashion Business. His second dam is Grade 1-victor and Reine-de-Course broodmare La Gueriere.
 
“It is cool to have bred this horse in partnership with St. Elias, and I know we will have to beat a St. Elias horse in the Wood Memorial,” Finley said with Listed Withers-winner Captain Cook in mind. “We retired the mare, she’s not in production anymore, but this is her best, we think, so far.”
 
Statesman worked a half-mile in 49.93 seconds on Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
 
Of other Derby-trail action for West Point Thoroughbreds, Finley said there should be no shortage.
 
“We’ll be all over the country. We run Yinzer in the Louisiana Derby. We run Sandman in the Arkansas Derby. I think there is a chance that we will run Bullard in the Santa Anita Derby but that is a question mark. And then Statesman in the Wood, so we are pumped,” Finley said.