Savvy Street Gets Nod in Miracle Wood
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Four horses stormed toward the finish line in the $100,000 Miracle Wood Stakes for 3-year-olds Feb. 16 at Laurel Park before Savvy Street won the tightest of finishes over Combat Diver.
With Forest Boyce riding for trainer Donald Barr, 3-1 second choice Savvy Street landed a nose decision with less than a half-length separating the quartet at the wire. Combat Diver edged 4-5 favorite Golden Years by a neck for second and pacesetter Bodhisattva checked in a head back in fourth in the six-horse field. The latter three are all Triple Crown nominees.
Bodhisattva ticked off easy fractions of :24.94 and :49.16 through a half-mile while leading by as much as 1 1/2 lengths while chased by Golden Years and Governmentshutdown. Savvy Street raced in fourth and Golden Years was the tail-ender. Governmentshutdown threw in the towel when Bodhisattva opened up by two lengths as six furlongs went in 1:14.55 but the leader saw his advantage cut to a length in early stretch as Golden Years soon was up join the front-runner at the furlong pole.
Savvy Street was moved out for running room at the three-sixteeths pole. He was bumped by Combat Diver as that rival rallied between horses with a sixteenth to run and the pair soon ranged up on the outside to join Bodhisattva and Golden Years as the finish line approached. Savvy Street and Combat Diver edged ahead slightly in the final 50 yards and reached the wire on near-even terms.
Savvy Street ($8), owned by Barbara Houck, covered the one-turn mile in 1:40.36 over a fast track, earning his first stakes win and third win overall from six career starts.
A gray or roan Street Sense colt, Savvy Street won his seven-furlong season opener at Laurel Jan. 9 after concluding his juvenile campaign with a runner-up finish to Bodhisattva in a one-mile optional claimer Dec. 18 at the same track.
Bred in Kentucky by Dr. John R. Cummins, Savvy Street was a $92,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase via agent Franklin Smith. Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned. The colt's dam is the winning El Prado mare Marieval, a half sister to multiple stakes winner Icabad Crane, who was third in the 2008 Preakness Stakes (gr. I).