Tacitus Tries to Stay on Winning Roll in Woodward

In a summer that has been dominated by talk of the reemergence of Maximum Security and—in a first—the Triple Crown, hovering in the background has been Tacitus.

Ever since the Juddmonte Farms 4-year-old supplied some highly impressive July 4 fireworks when he captured the 1 1/4-mile Suburban Stakes (G2) by a lopsided 8 3/4-length margin, Tacitus has been quietly training, preparing for a fall campaign in which he has the potential to be a major player.

"We wanted to have a fresh horse for the fall," trainer Bill Mott said. 

Two months of rest will come to an end Sept. 5 when the son of Tapit  takes his first step toward the Nov. 7 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) by starting in the $500,000 Woodward Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

"He won at this distance last time, so it was an easy choice," Mott said about running in the Woodward, where Tacitus will break from post 2 with jockey Jose Ortiz.

Contested for the first time since 1989 at the same 10-furlong distance as the Suburban and the Classic, the Woodward brings Tacitus back to the Spa, where he turned in a pair of notable runner-up finishes a year ago.

The more memorable of the two was a second in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), which was a key part of ending his 3-year-old season with a close-but-no-cigar stretch of five starts in which he finished either second or third in famed stakes such as the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1).

He found the going tougher at 4, finishing fifth in the Saudi Cup and then fourth in the May 2 Oaklawn Handicap (G2), but that all changed on Independence Day when Mott added blinkers for the first time at 4.

"It seems to make him level off a little more and stay in the bridle a little more," Mott said about the equipment change.

Since then, Tacitus has stayed sharp with a steady series of four- and five-furlong works, filling Mott with confidence about Saturday's race.

"He's training well and has worked well here," Mott said about the offspring of the Juddmonte-owned, Mott-trained multiple grade 1-winning mare Close Hatches. "He's been galloping good and I'm happy with him."

The winner of the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) and Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at 3, the homebred 124-pound highweight will face five rivals, topped by a pair from trainer Todd Pletcher: Spinoff and Moretti.

Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Moretti was a distant second to Tacitus in the Suburban, and then the Medaglia d'Oro  4-year-old won the Aug. 2 Birdstone Stakes, a 1 3/4-mile journey around the Spa. 

Wertheimer and Frere's Spinoff is also coming off a stakes win at Saratoga. The 4-year-old son of Hard Spun  who was 18th last year in the Kentucky Derby was a 2 3/4-length winner of the Aug. 9 Alydar Stakes in his previous start.

The field also includes Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm's Global Campaign, who won the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3) last time out for trainer Stanley Hough in his third start of the year. Last year at 3, the Curlin  colt won the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park, beating eventual Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston, and finished third in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga.

Math Wizard, the winner of the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) who is making a quick turnaround after finishing fifth in the Aug. 28 Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2), and Prioritize, who is stepping up from an allowance-level win over Kentucky Derby starter Money Moves, round out the field in the 1 1/4-mile test.

Entries: Woodward H. (G1)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, September 05, 2020, Race 11

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Math Wizard (KY)	Joel Rosario	119	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	12/1
2	2Tacitus (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	William I. Mott	1/1
3	3Moretti (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
4	4Global Campaign (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Stanley M. Hough	5/2
5	5Spinoff (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1
6	6Prioritize (KY)	Eric Cancel	115	H. James Bond	15/1