No Parole, Mischevious Alex Battle in Woody Stephens

With a purse of $250,000, the Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Claiborne Farm (G1) at Belmont Park June 20 serves as a warm-up act—and an early one—for the $1 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). Having drawn a field of only five 3-year-olds, lessening its wagering appeal, it is positioned as the second of 12 races. 

At least every entrant has a fighting chance, and three of them—No Parole, Mischevious Alex, and Echo Town—are likely to be fairly close in a bid for favoritism. All three come off fast victories in one-turn races and seem well suited to the seven-furlong trip.

No Parole, drawn inside, figures to dare the field to catch him from the break. All four of his victories from five starts were wire-to-wire, with his only defeat coming when he raced two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park in the slop when he faded to finish last of eight after chasing the pace.

With an inside post last out in an April 24 allowance-level race at Oaklawn, No Parole was hustled away to set splits of :21.59 and :44.80. Once cut loose at the top of the stretch, he left nine outmatched foes struggling to keep up. In front by six lengths in midstretch with five furlongs in :56.89, he was eased up late to win by 2 3/4 lengths, finishing six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.34.

The win was noteworthy because it came outside the Louisiana-bred competition in which he racked up three blowout victories.

"You never know until you try open company," said Maggi Moss, who co-owns the son of Violence  with Greg Tramontin. "And the fact he could ship into Oaklawn (from Louisiana), which is not easy. It really solidified my feelings that he is a really good sprinter."

For a while, No Parole's connections hoped he could perhaps be even more than that—maybe handle a route on the Road to the Kentucky Derby—but the Rebel, which he lost by 49 lengths, quashed those dreams.

On Saturday, he gets to play to his strength: his speed, which he reinforced with a bullet workout in :57 3/5 at Churchill Downs June 10.

Trainer Tom Amoss has named Luis Saez to ride.

The only graded winner in the lineup is Mischevious Alex, who has rattled off three consecutive victories, including the Feb. 1 Swale Stakes (G3) and March 7 Gotham Stakes (G3), since being equipped with blinkers late last year.

The Parx Racing-based colt owned by Cash is King and LC Racing also won the Parx Juvenile Stakes last year. That race, along with the Swale, was seven furlongs.

Trainer John Servis said he considered the Belmont Stakes for Mischevious Alex but preferred the Woody Stephens for the son of Into Mischief . The race could lead to a start in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) over 1 1/8 miles at Monmouth Park July 18. 

"I think this race sets him up for the other races," Servis said. "The Belmont is a one-turn mile and an eighth, and the big question for my horse is two turns, so we'll save that for next time."

Last year, Mischevious Alex was beaten in a pair of two-turn races. He was third on dirt in the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth and seventh on turf in the Laurel Futurity at Laurel Park. Both races came before the addition of blinkers.

Kendrick Carmouche will be aboard, as he was in the Gotham.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen starts two runners: Echo Town, a stakes-placed winner of three of five races for L and N Racing, and Shoplifted, the winner of the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes last year at Remington Park for Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables, and LNJ Foxwoods.

Shoplifted leads the field with earnings of $444,000, though his rally was ineffective in three starts this year in route preps toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

He last sprinted when second to stablemate Basin last year in the Runhappy Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course at seven furlongs in the slop. He won a maiden race there at 5 1/2 furlongs in his debut.

"Echo Town came in Tuesday in good shape. He's got a lot of weight on him and looks really good," assistant trainer Toby Sheets said. "Shoplifted has been here, and he's been training beautifully."

Jose Ortiz will ride Shoplifted, and Asmussen's regular go-to jockey, Ricardo Santana Jr., will be on Echo Town, the colt with more tactical speed.

Asmussen won the Woody Stephens with Posse (2003), J Be K (2008), and Justin Phillip (2011).

Colts Neck Stables' Meru, third behind winner Echo Town in a May 25 allowance-level race at Churchill Downs, completes the field. At 2, he won the Smoke Glacken Stakes at Monmouth and ran a distant second to Independence Hall in the Nashua Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Post time for the Woody Stephens is 12:25 p.m. ET on a card that begins at 11:45 a.m.

Entries: Woody Stephens S. Presented by Claiborne Farm (G1)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 20, 2020, Race 2

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo
• 12:25 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1No Parole (LA)	Luis Saez	120	Thomas M. Amoss	3/1
2	2Meru (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Jorge Duarte, Jr.	5/2
3	3Mischevious Alex (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	123	John C. Servis	5/2
4	4Echo Town (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Steven M. Asmussen	9/5
5	5Shoplifted (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Steven M. Asmussen	8/1