Englishman dominated in the Woody Stephens, NYRA Photo
Mary Eddy
C R K Stable’s supremely talented colt Englishman is the clear leader of the sophomore male sprint division, and will attempt to add to his already impressive resume in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.
The Allen Jerkens [Race 8] is one of six graded stakes slated for Saturday’s loaded 14-race Travers Day card, headlined by the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers in Race 13. The day will also feature a trio of Grade 1, $500,000 “Win and You’re In” events for the Breeders’ Cup in the Forego [Dirt Mile] in Race 11, the Resorts World Casino Ballerina [Filly and Mare Sprint] in Race 12, and the Personal Ensign [Distaff] in Race 9. The card is supported by the Grade 2, $400,000 Lake Placid in Race 10. First post is 11:05 a.m. Eastern.
Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Englishman enters from a 5 3/4-length smashing of the seven-furlong Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on June 6 here, pressing the pace set by Solitude Dude through the first half-mile in 43.97 seconds and sweeping by with a devastating turn-of-foot to take a five-length lead at the stretch call. The son of Maxfield shied away from the crop down the stretch, but was never in doubt as he cantered home in a track record-equaling final time of 1:20.40. The win was awarded a 115 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest number awarded to a 3-year-old – and second-highest overall – this year.
“He’s doing great, he’s training well and he looks great, so we are ready to come back and see him back on the track,” DeVaux said. “I think seven furlongs is his perfect distance, so I’m just looking forward to seeing him out there again.”
Englishman has done little wrong in his four starts, beginning with a pair of open-lengths romps in his September debut at Churchill Downs and an optional claiming event six months later at Fair Grounds Race Course, both at sprint distances. He stretched out to set the pace in the one-turn Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 2 at Churchill, and was passed in upper stretch by Crude Velocity to finish a 3 3/4-length second. That foe would not get the better of him again as he completed the exacta well behind Englishman in the Woody Stephens.
Englishman set the pace in his first three races, and proved his effectiveness under pressure in the Woody Stephens.
“He’s just naturally a fast horse,” DeVaux said. “He is always going to be competitive. The end of the race is what makes him, him. He just has to make his trip and try to relax and save something for the end.”
A $400,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Englishman is out of the winning Speightstown mare In It for the Gold, and his second dam is the multiple graded stakes-placed All Due Respect.
Englishman’s regular pilot Jose Ortiz returns to the irons from post 4.
A rising star well-suited to challenge Englishman is Spendthrift Farm’s Local Knowledge [post 5, John Velazquez], who enters from a determined head victory over Solitude Dude in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam on July 31 here.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the son of Yaupon was awarded a 103 Beyer for his first stakes win, which came from a stalking second one length off the pace set by American Man. He traveled to the inside of Solitude Dude throughout and was set down for the drive in a battle with that foe through the stretch, with neither colt willing to give an inch. With heads bobbing to the wire, Local Knowledge found enough late to put his head down first in a final time of 1:14.89 with another 3 1/2 lengths back to Obliteration in third.
Local Knowledge has made a rapid ascent to the upper echelon of this division, and debuted with a rallying 1 1/4-length win going six furlongs in October at Keeneland. He did not return until June when third in a local 6 1/2-furlong allowance tilt facing elders, a key race that saw its winner Buttah, fourth-place Yo Banana Boy and fifth-place Sea Strike – entered in Saturday’s Travers – join Local Knowledge as next-out stakes winners.
“It was a gutsy effort [in the Amsterdam] in only his third start,” Pletcher said. “He was coming out of that crazy allowance race where four horses came back to win stakes in their next start. This is another step up, but he certainly deserves a chance. We’ll see if we can take another step forward.”
Local Knowledge was purchased for $625,000 from the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Chestnut Street, a half-sister to multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Saratoga Snacks.
Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Deep Flame [post 2, Flavien Prat] also enters from a last-out winning effort that earned a lifetime best 103 Beyer for Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. The victory in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Maxfield on June 28 at Churchill Downs came in his first effort against winners following a third-out maiden romp by seven lengths facing elders in May there.
The Into Mischief bay, who landed second in his first two starts this winter and spring, was a prominent winner of the Maxfield, pressing the pace under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and drawing off with ease at the stretch call to post the 5 3/4-length score in a sharp final time of 1:21.43.
“Excited about him,” Cox said. “We gave him plenty of time to recover [from the big effort], that’s why we didn’t come back in the Amsterdam. Hopefully, he can fire another big number in the Jerkens.”
Deep Flame is out of the Speightstown mare Barbadia, a half-sister to two Grade 1 producers, and to multiple group/graded stakes-winner Etoile Montante.
Chris Fountoukis’ Solitude Dude [post 3, Tyler Gaffalione] rebounded strongly for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. when engaging in the sustained duel with Local Knowledge in the Amsterdam following his off-the-board finish in the Woody Stephens, and matched the winner’s 103 Beyer in the gutsy effort.
“He’s coming off a good race last time and just got beat,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We were pleased with that, he ran a 103 Beyer. It’s a tall task and I know Englishman is obviously the leader of this group, but he [Solitude Dude] didn’t fire his best the race before also.”
The Yaupon colt has found his home in one-turn events after winning a pair of sprint stakes in Florida this winter and landing third in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in February. He successfully cut back to seven furlongs to win the Listed Bay Shore in April at Aqueduct Racetrack ahead of the Woody Stephens.
“He’s a better one-turn horse and I know he tried [further] and he ran credibly, but it taxed him and he tried so hard doing something he doesn’t want to do,” Joseph, Jr. said. “When he came back, he won, but it wasn’t his best performance and that race took a toll on him. It was nice to see him come back and move forward again in the Amsterdam. He’s doing very good.”
Solitude Dude is cross-entered in Friday’s Robert Hilton Memorial at Charles Town Races.
Amo Racing USA’s Amberjack [post 6, Javier Castellano] graduated in his fourth attempt last out on July 31 at Delaware Park, leading at every point of call in the six-furlong sprint to drive home the 2 3/4-length winner and earn an 89 Beyer.
Trained by Jorge Delgado, the Complexity colt was trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown through his first two starts and has never finished off the board. His lone attempt at this distance was a third in a Gulfstream Park maiden in March.
Completing the field is Sanford Goldfarb, Koshanostra Stables and trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci’s New York-bred Stickupwithoutagun [post 1, Manny Franco], who enters from a local 1 1/2-length win in a optional claiming starter allowance on August 14 where he was haltered for $75,000 Kantarmaci. The son of McKinzie was bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm.
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