Bay Of Plenty Moves Up Again in Grade One Woodward

Time/Date - 17.47hrs local time/Saturday, September 5, 2015
Racecourse/Country - Saratoga/USA
Surface/Distance - Dirt/9f

Bay Of Plenty has his second Grade One outing when he lines up in the nine-furlong Woodward Stakes on dirt at Saratoga, USA, on Saturday, September 5.

The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained four-year-old was last seen out when making all for an impressive victory by two and a half-lengths in the non-graded Alydar Stakes over the same course and distance on August 9.

The Medaglia d'Oro colt's penultimate appearance was in the Grade One nyra.com Metropolitan Handicap over a mile on dirt at Belmont Park on June 6, when he faded to ninth after suffering interference.

He began 2015 with an easy all-the-way success in a mile allowance optional claimer on dirt at Belmont Park on April 29.

Bay Of Plenty was a three-time winner in 2014, taking two allowance optional claimers and a maiden as well as concluding the year with second in the Grade Three Discovery Handicap at Aqueduct on November 1 when beaten two and three quarter lengths by Protonico off level weights.

Joel Rosario, successful last time on Bay Of Plenty, takes the ride again and the partnership will emerge from stall four.

The Woodward Stakes has attracted seven other starters including Grade One Whitney Stakes runner-up Liam's Map and Grade Two Alysheba Stakes winner Protonico.

Kiaran McLaughlin said: "Bay Of Plenty is training great and doing very well.

"He loved the track when he won last time, so we decided to hit for the big time with a Grade One.

"It is a big step-up but he likes the track and worked well at Greentree Training Centre on Thursday.

"He is ready. Bay of Plenty and Liam's Map both have a lot of speed. It might not be so good - we'll just have to see. We could rate but he's not that easy to rate."

Alpha, also trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, won the Woodward Stakes for Godolphin in 2013.