Quality Road Seeks Redemption as Horse Racing Chalk

Quality Road will seek redemption for his loss to Blame last month in the Grade I Whitney as the horse racing chalk in this year’s Grade I Woodward Stakes.

The Woodward, won by Rachel Alexandra in 2009, is one of the highlights of Saratoga meet.

The connections of Quality Road would like nothing more than for their Top 5 world ranked horse to provide some of Saratoga’s 2010 highlights by winning the Woodward in spectacular fashion.

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Quality Road is a legitimate favorite, but he’s not a lock to win the Woodward on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the Woodward field.

Grade I Woodward Stakes

Where: Saratoga Springs, NY

When: September 4th, 2010 at 5:48 pm EST

Saratoga Racecourse – Race 10

Woodward Stakes (Grade I)

Purse $750,000. For Three-Year-Olds And Upward.

11/8th miles over dirt

1. Convocation 6/1 – - Quality Road drubbed him the Grade I Metropolitan by 7 lengths and he couldn’t even beat a horse like Haynesfield in the Suburban. Still, if the horse racing chalk isn’t ready to fire his best, then Convocation could find himself in the winner’s circle. He’s a hard trying equine, that’s for sure.

2. Mine That Bird 10/1 – - Note to D.Wayne Lukas: Calvin Borel was not the reason that this horse hasn’t won a race since the 2009 Kentucky Derby. He simply hasn’t developed the way that a Kentucky Derby champ is supposed to. The fact is that former trainer Ben Woolley did a marvelous training job getting this fella ready for the Triple Crown last year, but he peaked in those races. He’s a gelding. Did anyone expect him to get any better? Putting Rajiv Maragh on his back won’t help his cause at all in this, D.Wayne.

3. Quality Road 1/4 – - Heck, yeah, he’s the deserving horse racing chalk in this. Road lost to the best horse in training after Zenyatta in the U.S. in my opinion, Blame, in the Grade I Whitney and he lost by only a head. He has every right to run them off of their feet in this, but I’m not backing him at those low odds because everybody saw what happened to Rachel Alexandra last week and there is a rabbit in this to set it up for a closer.

4. Arcodoro 30/1 – - This is the rabbit. Arcodoro, with David Cohen on his back, is going to go right after Quality Road early. Expect the half to be run in around :45 and change. Cohen only knows one way to ride and that’s aggressively. Now, does this guy have a chance of wiring this field? No way, but he could mess the chalk up enough to give someone else a chance to win on Saturday.

5. Indian Dance 20/1 – - The horse is bred to be terrific but he hasn’t been running terrifically lately. Indian Dance hasn’t finished better than 4th in three straight races and he’s lost his last three races by a combined 19 ½ lengths. He’s a closer in a field where there are better closers. Pass.

6. Tranquil Manner 15/1 – - I actually believe that Tranquil Manner could be to Quality Road what Persistently was to Rachel Alexandra last Sunday. Tranquil Manner closed into a :49 half and 1:14 and 1 six furlong pace in his last, an optional claiming $75,000 race, to win by a length. This guy, sired by A.P. Indy, is out of a Touch Gold mare and may have turned the corner with that last victory. He’s going to get much kinder fractions to close into in this than he did in his last and Blame proved that Quality Road can be run down in a 1 1/8th mile race. Tranquil Manner is my pick to win the Woodward on Saturday.

7. Mythical Power 12/1 – - After winning the Texas Mile in April, Mythical Power has since finished 8th, 4th and 5th in his last 3 races. Maybe he’s a miler. Who knows? But he has been training well and Bob Baffert is a master at getting horses ready to upset huge faves like Quality Road. Still, I don’t see it happening with this guy. Mythical Power doesn’t have much chance against the horse racing chalk in this.

First: Tranquil Manner

Second: Quality Road

Third: Convocation

Good luck!

Before watching Quality Road run, log onto the racebook and make a bet on the Woodward Stakes, click here!