Social Inclusion, Samraat ready for Wood Memorial

Social Inclusion, who was credited with a four-furlong

breeze in :49 1/5 on Saturday over Gulfstream Park's fast dirt, will work twice more in

Florida before he ships to New York for the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial on

Saturday, April 5, owner Ronald

Sanchez said via telephone on Sunday.

The Wood Memorial is New York's premier Triple Crown prep

race and is worth 100 points to the winner in Churchill Downs' "Road to the

Kentucky Derby" points system.

"It was an easy gallop, three furlongs in :36 flat and

galloped out four furlongs in :49 and one," said Sanchez of Social Inclusion's

Saturday workout. "It was a maintenance breeze, and he was spectacular and full

of energy. The rider told me he didn't ask him to run."

Sanchez said Social Inclusion is scheduled to make his next

breeze on Wednesday and then again on Saturday before he ships to New York on

Sunday, either by van or by plane. He'll complete his training at Aqueduct

after he arrives in New York.

"He'll have two more breezes," Sanchez explained. "The way

(Manuel Azpurua) trains is totally different, but it works for us."

Social Inclusion is unbeaten and untested in two starts at

Gulfstream, having broken his maiden by 7 1/2 lengths going six furlongs on

February 22 and successfully stretching out to defeat Honor Code by 10 lengths

in an allowance on March 12. His winning time of 1:40.97 in the allowance

established a Gulfstream track record for 1 1/16 miles.

Also working Saturday for the Wood Memorial was unbeaten multiple Grade 3

star Samraat, who breezed one mile in 1:45 on the fast dirt at Palm

Meadows.

"It was just what we wanted," trainer Richard Violette Jr. said by telephone.

"He'll have his next breeze on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, and then

there's a plane to New York on Tuesday."

Samraat, who is unbeaten in five starts, went a mile in his

final breezes prior to his wins in Aqueduct's Withers on February

1 and Gotham on March 1, both of which are Grade 3 contests.

"It works for him, and there's been no reason to change," Violette noted.

Samraat, a homebred owned by Leonard Riggio's My Meadowview

Farm, narrowly defeated Uncle Sigh in his past two starts, beating his New

York-bred rival by one length in the Withers and by a quarter-length in the Gotham.

Uncle Sigh is scheduled to breeze for the Wood on Tuesday,

according to Gary Contessa's assistant trainer, Marcelo Arenas. The Indian

Charlie colt broke his maiden at Aqueduct on December 27 by 14 1/2 lengths while

going a mile-and-70-yards.