Art Collector Earns Grade 1 Honors in Woodward

Cutting back from three turns to one is hardly the textbook path to victory in a grade 1 stakes, but such details do not seem to faze Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector .

"That's unusual," trainer Bill Mott said about the different type of trips. "I guess he's pretty smart. He's got a great disposition because it didn't confuse him."

Yes, Art Collector surely turned in a "smart" effort Oct. 2 as he grabbed the lead and never looked back under jockey Luis Saez in capturing the $500,000 Woodward Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park by 1 1/2 lengths over Godolphin's favored Maxfield .

"It was a strong race and he's put three of them together. He's a very nice horse," Mott said about Lunsford's homebred son of Bernardini.

Speaking of smarts, Mott has what can be considered a doctorate in turning horses into grade 1 winners and his third start with Art Collector was definitely the charm in several ways.

Since taking over the care of a horse who was a grade 2 winner for original trainer Tom Drury, Mott has run Art Collector three times. Each was at a 1 1/8-mile distance, but they covered two turns, then three, and now one. 

Another common element, and the most important one of all, is that all three stakes ended with Art Collector in front as he prevailed in the Alydar Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and then the Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2), the aforementioned three-turn jaunt.

Next, if the next five weeks unfold as planned, Art Collector may return to two turns with a long run to the first turn as Mott indicated the $6 million 1 1/4-mile Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar seems a proper fit for the 4-year-old colt.

"I don't know what we have to lose. I'll run him a mile and a quarter. I'll talk with Mr. Lunsford, he makes the final decisions, but a mile and an eighth hasn't been a problem for him," Mott said.

A problem in the Classic could come from the prospect of a duel on the front end with the ultra-speedy multiple grade 1-winning Knicks Go , a front-running winner of the Lukas Classic Stakes (G3) Saturday at Churchill Downs, but Mott was not bothered by that prospect.

"I'm not afraid," he said about running in the Classic.

The win was the eighth in 15 starts for Art Collector, who posted five of those wins with Drury, including a victory in the 2020 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2). In his first start of the year, and last for Drury, he was sixth in the seven-furlong Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs. It was his third straight loss after a streak of four wins in a row.

"When he came to me, he had a race under his belt and was ready to go," Mott said. "With the racing, he got better and stronger and today was the result."

Out of the Distorted Humor   mare Distorted Legacy, Art Collector is his dam's second foal and first stakes winner. The mare also has 2-year-old and yearling colts by Into Mischief  , the former named Legionnaire, and a weanling Justify   filly. She was bred to Medaglia d'Oro   for 2022.

Art Collector's masterpiece saw him lead by a half-length through fractions of :24:02 and :47.78. Ahead by 1 1/2 lengths after six furlongs in 1:12.12, the main threat in the field of six came from 4-5 favorite Maxfield moved off the rail to take aim at Art Collector in the stretch, but the homebred son of Street Sense   was unable to put much of a dent in the lead in the final furlong.

"It was a wonderful race. I had a lot of confidence in my horse. He always tries so hard. He always comes with a run and finishes with run and today he ran his race," said Saez, who most likely will ride Godolphin's top 3-year-old Essential Quality  in the Classic.

Final time on the fast track was 1:49.22 as Art Collector ($7.50), the 5-2 second choice, increased his earnings to $1,535,305.

For the grade 1-winning Maxfield, it was just his third loss in a 10-race career that has featured seven wins, two seconds, and a third.

"He never lets us down," said trainer Brendan Walsh. "All credit to the winner. He ran a good race and he's a good horse. We ran a good race to be second."

Walsh added that Maxfield figures to join Godolphin's Brad Cox-trained Essential Quality in the field for the Nov. 6 Classic at Del Mar.

"I can't see why not," he said about a trip to California. "He still hasn't done anything wrong. Every race is different and our day will come, too."

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post , a 4-year-old son of Quality Road   who was third in the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar, was a length back in third Saturday for trainer Todd Pletcher. Grade 1 winner Code of Honor  ran fourth.

Video: Woodward S. (G1)