Tacitus bids for elusive Grade 1 win against six rivals in Woodward

Juddmonte Farms' three-time graded stakes winner Tacitus has been Grade 1-placed on four occasions. He will seek a first triumph at the highest level when he faces a field of five in Saturday's 67th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward going 1 ¼ miles at Saratoga Race Course.

The prestigious event for older horses honors William Woodward, the late owner of Bel Air Stud who campaigned father-son Triple Crown-winning pair of Gallant Fox and Omaha and was chairman of the Jockey Club from 1930-50. Since its inception in 1954, the Woodward has attracted high caliber horses such as all-time greats Kelso (1961-63), Buckpasser (1966), Damascus (1967), and Forego who won four consecutive runnings from 1974-77.

For four straight years, the Woodward was championed by a winner of the Kentucky Derby with Seattle Slew (1978), Affirmed (1979), Spectacular Bid (1980) and Pleasant Colony (1981) all winning the prestigious event.

More recent prominent winners of the Woodward include Mineshaft (2003), Ghostzapper (2004), Saint Liam (2005), Curlin (2008), Rachel Alexandra (2009) and Gun Runner (2017), all of whose Woodward victories would help cement Horse of the Year honors in their respective years.

Trainer Bill Mott's four Woodward victories is tied with fellow Hall of Famers Elliot Burch and Bobby Frankel. Mott will look to become the race's all-time leading conditioner in the prestigious race when saddling Tacitus, who boasts lifetime earnings of $2,817,500.

Mott has sent out Hall of Famer Cigar (1995-96), To Honor and Serve (2012) and Yoshida (2018) to victory in the Woodward.

The 4-year-old gray or roan son of prolific sire Tapit out of 2014 Champion Older Filly Close Hatches was a runaway winner of the Suburban (G2) going the 1 ¼-mile distance on July 4 at Belmont Park. With Hall of Famer John Velazquez up, he tracked a leisurely pace, took command at the quarter pole and drew off by 8 ¾ lengths in a final time of 1:59.40. This was his first start since finishing fourth in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) on May 2 and marked his first victory since taking the Wood Memorial (G2) Apr. 2019 at Aqueduct.

"He'll be a fresh horse going in," Mott said. "He had done a lot of travelling earlier in the year. The Oaklawn race could have been a mistake, but at least we came back and capitalized on the next race being the Suburban. Right after Oaklawn, we decided we would wait for it."

During his sophomore campaign last year, Tacitus won the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) en route to his Wood Memorial score. He finished in the money in his remaining five starts during his 3-year-old season when elevated to third in the Kentucky Derby followed by runner-up finishes in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, Jim Dandy (G2) and Travers (G1) at Saratoga. He capped off his 2019 campaign with a third-place finish in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on September 28.

Mott said Tacitus has matured from age 3 to 4.

"His energy level has been good," Mott said. "Naturally, he's a more mature horse from last year, which is normal. He feels good early in the morning before he goes out and he gets geared up and anxious to go once he gets going. He's good to ride and he's easy enough on himself to where he can take care of himself."

Jockey Jose Ortiz, who piloted Tacitus to his two graded stakes wins last year, will return to the saddle.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will attempt to level up to even terms with Mott, Burch and Frankel in terms of Woodward victories when he saddles the formidable duo of Moretti and Spinoff.

Owned by Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Moretti arrives at the Woodward off a victory in the 1 ¾-mile Birdstone on Aug. 2, which he won by 1 ½ lengths. Second in the Suburban (G2) to Tacitus, Moretti defeated allowance company at Oaklawn Park on May 2 at Oaklawn Park as the lukewarm favorite before winning his first stakes race in the Flat Out on June 11 over a sloppy main track at Belmont Park.

"There's limited opportunities of Grade 1s going a mile and a quarter, so we'll give him a chance to do that," said Pletcher, who sent out Woodward winners Lawyer Ron (2007), Quality Road (2010) and Liam's Map (2015).

Bred in Kentucky by Thor-Bred Farm, Moretti is by multiple champion producing stallion Medaglia d'Oro out of the Grade 1 winning Concerto mare Rigoletta, who also produced Grade 1 winner Battle of Midway. He was acquired for a lucrative $900,000 from the Gainesway consignment barn at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will have the mount from post 3.

Pletcher also will send out Wertheimer and Frere's Spinoff, a newly minted stakes winner who took the Alydar on Aug. 9 at the Spa where he registered a career-best 99 Beyer.

The homebred son of Hard Spun out of Grade 1-winner Zaftig was previously stakes-place three times, including a third-place finish in the Saratoga Special (G2) in 2018. During his sophomore season, Spinoff was a close second to By My Standards in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds en route to off-the-board placings in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. He capped off his 3-year-old season with a decisive 5 ¾-length victory against winners last August at Saratoga defeating graded stakes winners Lone Sailor, Cairo Cat and Control Group exactly one year prior to his last out win.

"Spinoff seems to like Saratoga a lot," Pletcher said. "He's shown us hints along the way that he has potential for that breakthrough performance I thought the Alydar was arguably his strongest race. He's 2-for-2 around two turns here at Saratoga so that's encouraging as well. He's finally matured and putting it all together."

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot Spinoff from post 5.

Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm's Global Campaign will attempt to replicate his winning ways from the last out Monmouth Cup (G3) when making his Grade 1 debut in the Woodward for trainer Stanley Hough.

The well-bred Curlin colt was a determined winner of his last effort, where he controlled a moderate pace throughout, lost the lead at the furlong marker to last year's Woodward runner-up Bal Harbour, but re rallied along the rail to get the victory by 1 ½-lengths over fast-closing Woodward-rival Math Wizard.

A consistent five-time winner of eight starts, Global Campaign won his first two races which took place at Gulfstream Park before making the grade in the Peter Pan (G3) at Belmont Park last May over eventual Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston. In his only start at Saratoga, Global Campaign was third in last year's Jim Dandy (G2).

Bred in Kentucky by co-owner WinStar Farm, Global Campaign is out of the A.P. Indy mare Globe Trot, making him a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Bolt d'Oro.

Leaving from post 4, Global Campaign will be piloted by Luis Saez.

Following a well-beaten fifth in last Friday's Charles Town Classic (G2), Math Wizard will seek to make quick amends while trying for a second Grade 1 victory for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.

Math Wizard was a deep-closing winner of last year's Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx in his only graded stakes victory to date. The chestnut son of Algorithms owns three others placings against graded stakes company, where he was third in the Indiana Derby (G2) last July and second in both the Ohio Derby (G3) last June and Monmouth Cup (G3) in July.

Jockey Joel Rosario, who guided Yoshida to a 2018 Woodward score, has the mount from post 1.

Rounding out the field is William L. Clifton, Jr.'s Prioritize, a winner on both dirt and turf.

Trained by Jimmy Bond, Prioritize began his career on grass, where he was a first out winner over the Gulfstream Park green in April 2018 before third-place finishes against stakes company on the NYRA circuit in the Better Talk Now at Saratoga and the Hill Prince (G3) at Belmont Park, where he was beaten by a length both times.

In his dirt debut, the son of two-time Grade 1 winner Tizway won for a $35,000 tag on Dec. 20 at Aqueduct and defeated allowance company three starts later at Saratoga, where he defeated Kentucky Derby contender Money Moves.

Jockey Eric Cancel piloted Prioritize to his last two efforts and retains the mount from post 6.