Patch Adams powers clear in Woody Stephens

Patch Adams continued his ascension in the sprint ranks, drawing off to a convincing win in Saturday’s $500,000 Woody Stephens (G1) at Saratoga. A winner of three consecutive starts at one-turn distances, the Brad Cox-trained colt registered his first stakes win and completed seven furlongs in 1:21.36 over the muddy track.

Luis Saez picked up the mount on the son of Into Mischief, and Patch Adams pressed the pace from the break before easing back to stalk up close through opening splits in :22.11 and :44.40. He got his cue approaching the completion of the turn, advancing to challenge in upper stretch and striking the front with about a furlong remaining, winning going away under the wire by a 2 1/4-length decision.

“I was very proud of him,” Saez said. “I know he was going to come out of there running, and he did. He found a good spot and, man, when he came to the top of the stretch, he gave me a pretty good turn of foot.”

Patch Adams was favored at 3.40-1 among 11 three-year-olds.

“Luis stayed after him,” Cox said. “When I was watching him, I was like, ‘well, he's asking him to press the leaders’ and hoped that he wouldn't give way; he didn't and finished up well."

Owned by China Horse Club and breeder WinStar Farm, Patch Adams was exiting a sharp allowance win over 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard. He broke his maiden by 10 lengths at seven furlongs in his juvenile finale last November, but despite a stamina-oriented pedigree, the bay colt faltered when opening his three-year-old campaign in the Southwest (G3) and Tampa Bay Derby (G3) around two turns, finishing fourth in both.

Patch Adams has flourished since cutting back in distance, establishing himself as a top prospect for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). Cox will keep him at one-turn distances, with the Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 23 as the next major target.

“We kind of scratched our heads this winter and into the spring (with his two-turn starts), but he turned it around at Churchill Downs when we cut him back, and he responded again today,” the trainer said.

The Kentucky-bred is the first stakes winner out of the stakes-winner Distorted Humor mare Well Humored, a half-sister to Grade 1-winning turf miler American Patriot and also Parchment Party, winner of Friday’s off-the-turf Belmont Gold Cup (G3) at 1 3/4 miles on the main track. This is also the immediate female family of Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Well Armed.

Madaket Road, who was off at 11-1, pressed pacesetter Macho Music before taking a short lead in the upper stretch and held second after proving no match for the winner. He was 3 1/4 lengths better than Big Truzz, who rallied from midpack to edge Citizen Bull by a neck. It was another neck back to T Kraft in fifth. Gate to Wire, Macho Music, Chancer McPatrick, Neoquos, and Gunmetal completed the order of finish.