The word for Locked is "pivotal."
As much as the Woodward Stakes (G2) no longer attracts the best horses of its generation, as it did in prior to the introduction of the Breeders' Cup, the Sept. 27 edition will be quite telling for Locked, the lone grade 1 winner in the field.
Coming into Saturday's mile-and-an-eighth $300,000 Woodward at Aqueduct Racetrack, the 4-year-old son of Gun Runner has been in a bit of a funk. Winner of the 2023 Breeders' Futurity (G1) at 2 and the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 1, he was expected to be a major player in the older colt division. But in his last two tries for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, he was third by 6 1/4 lengths in the July 4 Suburban Stakes (G2) and before that fourth by 6 3/4 lengths in the Alysheba Stakes (G2).
So now, with the Breeders' Cup five weeks away and a career at stud for Gainesway starting next year, the Woodward will play a huge role in determining where his racing career plays out.
"It is absolutely pivotal for him to run a big race Saturday. He is destined for Gainesway's stallion shed and we would very much like to be in position to consider a Breeders' Cup race with him if his performance in the Woodward justifies it," said Aron Wellman, president and founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which owns Locked along with Walmac Farm. "On his best day, Locked has always been a brilliant horse at several distances, from 7 furlongs to a mile to a mile and a quarter."
A candidate for either the stacked Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) or the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Locked has not raced in nearly three months and Pletcher believes that time and skipping races such as the Whitney Stakes (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) has helped the son of the Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa bred by Rosa Colasanti return to top form.
"He's been training well," Pletcher said about the winner of the 2024 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at the Big A. "Based on the way he's been training, he's back in top form. He's a little more enthusiastic with his breezes and more focused in his gallop outs. His overall condition looks good and his energy level is fine. We just felt the more time we gave him, the better he would do. He had two big races at Aqueduct last fall and we thought going back to a surface he had success on would work for him. We're hoping for a strong performance which will set him up for the Classic, which is what we want."
A $425,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale who has earned more than $1.7 million, Locked will face six rivals include Jupiter Stable's Phileas Fogg, who won the Suburban. The son of Austern trained by Gustavo Rodriguez followed that up with a controversial third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, where he veered in at the start and caused crowding that led to jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. being knocked off Mindframe. The 5-year-old-gelding was disqualified and placed last.
Hillwood Stable's Post Time is coming off a 17-length romp in the Polynesian Stakes at Laurel Park. Third behind Locked in the Cigar Mile, the Frosted 5-year-old won the Carter Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct last year for trainer Brittany Russell.
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, September 27, 2025, Race 6Entries: Woodward S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Awesome Aaron (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 124 Norm W. Casse - 2 Post Time (MD) Sheldon Russell 126 Brittany T. Russell - 3 Willy D's (KY) Flavien Prat 124 Michael J. Maker - 4 Film Star (KY) Manuel Franco 122 Rob Atras - 5 Gould's Gold (KY) Javier Castellano 122 Kenneth G. McPeek - 6 Phileas Fogg (KY) Kendrick Carmouche 126 Gustavo Rodriguez - 7 Locked (KY) John R. Velazquez 126 Todd A. Pletcher -
