G1 Woodward 8/31 750K

Possible rematch between Cross Traffic, Fort Larned looms in Woodward

Whitney Invitational winner Cross Traffic emerged from his first Grade 1 victory "very well," trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday morning, with the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward on August 31 likely as his next major target.

"He looked good this morning and seemed to take the race really well," Pletcher said. "The Woodward is certainly a possibility, and if we decide we need more time, the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Grade 1 on September 28 at Belmont Park) is a back-up plan."

The win was important for a number of reasons, said Pletcher, not just to validate Cross Traffic's efforts in the Westchester and the Metropolitan Handicap, but also for his future at stud. The four-year-old colt is by Unbridled's Song, who died last week, and out of the multiple Grade 1-winning mare Stop Traffic, a daughter of Cure the Blues who won the Ballerina at the Spa in 1998.

"I think when you take a tough beat like he did in the Met, one side of you thinks, 'Well, we'll get one of these,'" Pletcher said. "The other side is, when you blow an opportunity, sometimes you never get it again. I was happy for the horse; he ran two winning races at Belmont and lost by five inches. So, it was nice to get a Grade 1 win for him. He's got a real stallion's pedigree, and that's what you have to do, win races like that to take it to the next level."

In the Whitney, Cross Traffic led through an opening quarter-mile in :24, ran the second quarter in :23 and the third quarter in :22 4/5, with the race unfolding just as Pletcher and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez had hoped.

"That's pretty impressive," Pletcher said. "You don't see that many sub-23's internally, especially in a dirt race.

"He put himself into the race right away," he added. "Every time they turned up the pressure, he was able to turn it up another notch. It was a perfect trip, but it was a self-produced perfect trip."

With the Whitney part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series, Cross Traffic now has an all-fees-paid entry into the Breeders' Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles, a distance Pletcher thinks is within the colt's scope.

"What I liked about the race yesterday, it looked like those horses were gaining on him, but then you look at the gallop-out, and he's cleared them again," he said. "It's all a function of pace and he showed yesterday he's ratable, even though he was on the front end. The first quarter showed he has speed, but he's not headstrong."

To trainer Ian Wilkes, the defeat of 6-5 Whitney favorite Fort Larned began at the start, when he broke a step slow and winner Cross Traffic got away quickly and set a comfortable opening quarter-mile.

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. alertly moved Fort Larned into an outside stalking position around the first turn, but, in Wilkes' mind, the damage was done. He believes it cost Fort Larned, who finished fifth in his attempt to win his second straight Whitney.

"We didn't get away good yesterday; we broke a little slow," Wilkes said. "That wasn't from any tactics or anything. The horse just broke a little slow, and if we break better, it changes the complexion of the race.

"(Cross Traffic's jockey) Johnny (Velazquez) rode a great race. He got away with a :24 first quarter. Let's pay all tribute to what Johnny, Todd (Pletcher) and Cross Traffic did. We will have to regroup."

Wilkes said if Fort Larned trains well, he will point him toward the Woodward.

"This Grade 1 handicap division is a tough division," Wilkes said. "We could run this race again in three or four weeks and have a different winner. It's a testament to how strong a division it is. It's not easy; if you make mistakes, you're going to get beat."

Godolphin Racing's Alpha emerged from his sixth-place finish in Saturday's Whitney in good order but left trainer Kiaran McLaughlin uncertain where the four-year-old Bernardini colt would start next.

"He came out of the race great; it was just too tough a field," McLaughlin said. "We're not sure what we're going to do from here, but he's fine. He's in good shape."

The Whitney marked the first career loss at Saratoga for Alpha, who broke his maiden here in 2011 and swept the Jim Dandy and Travers last summer, winning the latter in a dead heat with Golden Ticket.

Under Joel Rosario, Alpha raced near the back and was strung out three wide on both turns in the Whitney, never threatening at any point. He finished seven lengths behind the front-running Cross Traffic.

"We were expecting a much faster first quarter and half," McLaughlin said. "We were well back, and it's hard to make up ground on these types of horses going :24 and :47. But, we knew we were in tough to start with."

Alpha has failed to hit the board in six starts since the Travers, including a pair of stakes in Dubai to start this year. His best finish came in his pre-Whitney start, running fourth of five in the Suburban Handicap on July 6 at Belmont Park.

"We just have to regroup and figure out what we're going to do," McLaughlin said.

Brisnet