'All going as planned' for Woody Stephens contender Strike Power

Courtlandt Farms' Strike Power is expected to put in his final breeze either Friday or Saturday before running in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes Day June 9, trainer Mark Hennig said by phone Wednesday morning.

Strike Power put in his fourth work at Belmont Park since running eighth in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, contested at 1 1/8 miles, on March 31 at Gulfstream Park. After two straight starts at more than a mile, including a runner-up effort to Promises Fulfilled in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 3 at Gulfstream, the Speightstown colt will be cutting back in the seven-furlong Woody Stephens; a distance in which he won the Grade 2 Swale in his stakes debut on February 18.

Strike Power breezed five furlongs in 1:00.65 last Friday on Belmont's main track, building on his three previous works at a half-mile.

"It was good, everything went well and we're all real happy with him," Hennig said. "It's all going as planned. We'll probably go a half-mile either Friday or Saturday, depending on the weather."

His stablemate, My Miss Lilly, was nominated to the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again on Opening Day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on June 7, but Hennig said he does not plan on moving her to turf and could be instead be targeting the Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose on June 30.

"We're not looking to put her on the turf at the moment. We just put her there as a main-track only possibility, but I don't think we'd do that," Hennig said.

On Friday, My Miss Lilly put in her first breeze since finishing 11th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 4, going four furlongs in 48.77 seconds on Belmont's main track. Hennig said he was impressed with the winner of the Grade 2 Gazelle on April 7 at Aqueduct.

"She did well, it was her first breeze back from the Kentucky Oaks," Hennig said. "There's no definite plans yet, but we think she could be a Mother Goose horse or something [later in the meet]."

The Kentucky Oaks was the only time in five career starts the Tapit filly finished out of the money after posting third-place finishes in the Grade 3 Forward Gal and the Busher to start her 3-year-old campaign.