Jockey Club Gold Cup a Possibility for Preservationist

Centennial Farms' Preservationist exited his victory in the Aug. 31 Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in good order, according to trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who scored his second win in the 1 1/8-mile event for older horses at Saratoga Race Course.

The 6-year-old son of Arch notched his first grade 1 win in the Woodward two starts after winning his graded stakes debut in the Suburban Stakes (G2) July 6 at Belmont Park.

The Woodward was a redeeming win for Preservationist, who finished fourth in the Whitney Stakes (G1) Aug. 3, where he set the pace but faded to finish 7 3/4 lengths behind McKinzie.

On Saturday, Preservationist stalked the pace and made a winning bid surging between horses in midstretch to win by a half-length, registering a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

"It's always good when you can save ground and the horses can deal with being in a crowd like that and still be on the bridle. That's huge," Jerkens said. "It took a while to happen, but it finally did at the very end once a horse on the outside started to fade and opened it up a bit. I felt once he got some room, a big horse like him would wear them down."

Jerkens said he was equally pleased to get a grade 1 win under Preservationist's belt. The triumph was only the 10th start and sixth win for Preservationist, who reached the seven-figure mark with $1,037,300 in earnings.

"That's why it was such an exhilarating win," Jerkens said. "It was only his 10th start and he's going to be 7 years old in three months, so it was huge. He's got a nice pedigree. The female family was very, very good."

Jerkens said he was unsure where his next start would take place but mentioned the Sept. 28 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont as a possibility.

Live Oak Plantation's Global Access was doing well the morning after winning the Saranac Stakes (G3T) by a neck earlier on the Woodward card, trainer Michael Trombetta said Sept. 1.

"He seemed like he came out of it in good order," Trombetta said. "It was a fun day."

All four of Global Access' wins, including the May 25 Marine Stakes (G3) at Woodbine, have come at the Saranac's distance. Trombetta said he will likely stretch him out further in targeting the 1 1/8-mile Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) Oct. 5 at Belmont.

"I'll look ahead and try to figure out what's next, but the Hill Prince is definitely an option for him in October," said Trombetta, who won the 2009 Hill Prince with Despite the Odds.

Global Access was the most experienced horse in the field, and Trombetta praised his maturity.

"He's been a little bit difficult as far as managing him on the tracks in the afternoons," he said. "We took the blinkers off and had to keep changing things. But yesterday was probably one of his most professional ways of running. He sat off the pace and relaxed and rated. When (John Velazquez) called on him and asked him to run, he had a nice, sustained run."