Mind Control Looks to Score in Woody Stephens

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' Mind Control will look to pick up the second top-level score of his career when he takes on 10 rivals in the $400,000 Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G1) over seven furlongs June 8 at Belmont Park.

The Woody Stephens is one of eight grade 1 races on the Saturday card before the 151st running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

A winner of the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course at 2, Mind Control has trained impressively for Gregory Sacco leading up to the Woody Stephens. After victories in the Jerome Stakes and Bay Shore Stakes (G3) among his three starts at Aqueduct Racetrack this year, Mind Control has posted a series of strong works at Monmouth Park, including a bullet five-furlong breeze May 24 in 1:00 3/5 followed by a June 1 effort clocked in the same time.

"The bullet work was by himself. The last work was in company, and he did it well within himself," Sacco said. "We've tightened the screws a little bit coming into this race. He galloped out good, and the main thing is that he came out of the works really well. He was full of himself this morning."

Mind Control initially competed on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, picking up points in the Jerome along with a runner-up effort to Haikal in the Gotham Stakes (G3). However, his connections decided to refocus the colt on a campaign geared toward sprint races, with the long-term goal of competing in the Aug. 24 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) at Saratoga.

"We wanted to march forward on the Derby path," Sacco said. "But we just felt his development, and how super talented he is up to a mile, that we wanted to keep him on this path.We had the Bay Shore earmarked with the Woody Stephens and the Allen Jerkens. So we've got by the first one, and he's had two months to fill out and blossom. He's a very happy, strong horse coming into the race on Saturday. He couldn't be doing any better."

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will pilot Mind Control from post 9.

Mind Control and stablemate Joevia, a contender for the Belmont Stakes, shipped to Belmont June 5 from their Monmouth base.

The improving Wendell Fong will look to answer the call as he steps up to the grade 1 level for the first time in the Woody Stephens.

Trained by Jeremiah Englehart for owner Gold Square, Wendell Fong is named after a non sequitur from the hit TV show 'Frasier' in an episode titled 'And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon.'

"The owner is a big 'Frasier' fan," explained Englehart. "There's an episode where Niles and Daphne are running away from a wedding, and Niles picks up the phone and it's a wrong number. Nile says, 'No, there is no Wendell Fong here.' Al (Gold)'s gifted when it comes to naming horses."

Wendell Fong has dialed up increasingly stronger speed figures in his brief career thus far, winning three of four starts while earning a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure last out when capturing the May 12 Gold Fever Stakes over six furlongs on a sloppy Belmont main track.

Wendell Fong was a winner on debut in his only juvenile start. The one blemish on his record came at second asking when he finished fourth in the one-mile Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel Park.

"In his first race, he was really green but had that desire to win," Englehart said. "In his next start, I put blinkers on him, which was a ridiculous move. It just wasn't the thing to do. But he's just a very competitive horse and really easy to work with and enjoys racing. All I have to do is keep him happy."

A $160,000 purchase from Shawhan Place's consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Wendell Fong has overcome his share of issues as a 2-year-old.

"Travis Durr and I bought him at the September sale as a yearling. He just had that look about him. He had a nice, strong hip. A good shoulder angle. He just seemed like a nice horse," Englehart said. "He injured his ankle last year as a 2-year-old, and we did surgery on him at Patty Hogan's clinic and they did a fantastic job. He has turned out to be a real good racehorse."

Wendell Fong breezed a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 June 1 on the Laurel Park | BloodHorse.com Track Profile">Laurel Park main track with regular rider Jorge Vargas Jr. up in his final prep for the Woody Stephens.

"He loves training there. The last work went really well—Jorge came by to work him and was pleased with how it went. He just went by himself. He can be aggressive and will fight to win (if he goes in company), and we didn't need him to go too fast," Englehart said.

Vargas retains the mount from post 11.

Chad Brown will saddle a pair of formidable Woody Stephens contenders in Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Complexity and impressive maiden winner Honest Mischief.

Klaravich Stables' Complexity, a Maclean's Music  colt bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, won on debut at Saratoga in September and followed with a convincing three-length win over Code of Honor at Belmont in the Champagne. He completed last season with a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Complexity, who has posted a string of quick works at Saratoga, will make his seasonal debut under regular pilot Jose Ortiz from post 4.

Juddmonte Farms homebred Honest Mischief graduated at second asking by eight lengths April 6 at Keeneland. The son of Into Mischief  is out of grade 1 winner Honest Lady and is a half brother to 2008 Forego Handicap (G1) winner First Defence.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano retains the mount from the rail.

Calumet Farm homebred Lexitonian returns to Belmont for the first time since his debut win last June when trained by Todd Pletcher. The Speightstown  colt, transferred to trainer Jack Sisterson for his sophomore campaign, captured the May 18 Chick Lang Stakes (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.

Joel Rosario picks up the mount on Lexitonian, who will break from post 10.

Completing the field are Borracho, Hog Creek Hustle, Much Better, Landeskog, Nitrous, and Strike Silver.

Alwaysmining Heads Easy Goer

Early on Saturday's card, a field of six is slated to contest the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes over 1 1/16 miles. The highweight in the listed race will be Preakness Stakes (G1) runner Alwaysmining. Owned by Runnymede Racing, the Maryland-bred stakes winner will break from the far outside under Castellano. 

His most likely competition will come from Let's Go Stable, Richard Schibell, and Madaket Stables' Outshine, who placed second in the March 9 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs. The son of Malibu Moon  will break from post 4 with Velazquez in the irons. 

Entries: Woody Stephens S. Presented by Mohegan Sun (G1)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 08, 2019, Race 8

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 4:04 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Honest Mischief (KY)	Javier Castellano	115	Chad C. Brown	6/1
2	2Much Better (KY)	Mike E. Smith	117	Bob Baffert	5/1
3	3Borracho (KY)	Jose Lezcano	117	George R. Arnold, II	15/1
4	4Complexity (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Chad C. Brown	4/1
5	5Landeskog (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	115	Doug F. O'Neill	12/1
6	6Nitrous (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	121	Steven M. Asmussen	10/1
7	7Strike Silver (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Mark E. Casse	20/1
8	8Hog Creek Hustle (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	117	Vickie L. Foley	20/1
9	9Mind Control (KY)	John R. Velazquez	123	Gregory D. Sacco	5/2
10	10Lexitonian (KY)	Joel Rosario	123	Jack Sisterson	15/1
11	11Wendell Fong (KY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	121	Jeremiah C. Englehart	10/1

Entries: Easy Goer S.

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 08, 2019, Race 3

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 3 yo
• 12:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Still Dreaming (KY)	Rajiv Maragh	115	H. Graham Motion	8/1
2	2Dream Maker (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	117	Mark E. Casse	6/1
3	3Grumps Little Tots (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	115	Jason Servis	12/1
4	4Outshine (KY)	John R. Velazquez	115	Todd A. Pletcher	9/5
5	5Majid (KY)	Luis Saez	119	Rudy R. Rodriguez	6/1
6	6Alwaysmining (MD)	Javier Castellano	121	Kelly Rubley	6/5