Jerkens Saddles Formidable Pair in Woodward

Looking to finish the meet strong, trainer Jimmy Jerkens will saddle a formidable pair of 4-year-old graded stakes winners in Saturday's Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward with Effinex for Tri-Bone Stables and Wicked Strong for Centennial Farms.

New York-bred Effinex has three wins from four starts this year, including victories in the Grade 3 Excelsior at Aqueduct Racetrack on April 25 and last out in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap on July 4, where he bested multiple graded stakes winner Tonalist and fellow Woodward entrant Coach Inge. He enters with all signs pointing to him moving forward, according to Jerkens.

"He's good, as good as we can hope," said Jerkens. "He ran the best race he's had so far in his career in the Suburban and he's been training steadily since. He's proven he's more than just a New York-bred, that's for sure. He beat Tonalist and that's no easy task."

Last year's Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner, Wicked Strong, most recently fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 8 after trying turf for the first time in the Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont Park on July 11, encouraged his trainer by racing closer to the pace than he has previously before tiring in the in the Whitney. Jerkens believes his charge emerged much fitter from the experience.

"I thought his last race he was much closer to the pace than he has been in all his races this year, which was good to see," said Jerkens. "It tolled on him a little at the end but it was still good to see him get into the thick of things. He was kind of laying back there and acting disinterested in all his other races. He looked like he came to get a little bit of spirit back last time."

Source: NYRA Communications