Drew’s Gold makes it four in a row with a win in the Gold Fever May 12 at Belmont Park (Joe Labozzetta)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Drew’s Gold worked a half-mile in 47.88 Thursday over the Spa main track in preparation for the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomores on July 28 at Saratoga.
Trained and co-owned by James Chapman with Stuart Tsujimoto, the Violence ridgling worked solo under jockey Jose Ortiz, who tracked a Rudy Rodriguez trainee from a distance before galloping out in front of that one after the wire.
“He worked really good. He’s never really been a good workhorse alone but as he’s gotten older, he’s more into it,” Chapman said. “I told Jose if you can follow someone, he’s going to work a lot better for you. He got in behind a Rudy horse that horse was 15 lengths in front of him leaving the half. At the wire, he was still three or four lengths in front of him and then after the wire, he just blew by him.”
Drew’s Gold won his first four career starts which came at four different tracks, taking his debut last May at Churchill and returning to best winners in his seasonal debut in January at Laurel Park. He made his next two outings in NYRA circuit stakes traveling six furlongs under Gomez, scoring in the Jimmy Winkfield in February at the Big A and the Gold Fever on May 12 at Belmont.
Last out, he earned a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure in a game runner-up effort to Arabian Lion in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun.
Chapman said Drew’s Gold has enjoyed training over the Spa main track and he is hopeful that the $25,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase will return to winning form in the Amsterdam with an eye towards a start in the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 26 here.
“He’s a beautiful mover anyways, but he really likes this track,” Chapman said. “Hopefully, he can get this thing done in nice shape and we want to win the next one going seven-eighths.”
