Francesca LeDonne Photo

Heaven Street takes on six others in $100K Woodhaven

by Ryan Martin

Siena Farms’ Heaven Street will look to continue his upward trajectory in Saturday’s $100,000 Woodhaven at 1 1/16 miles for sophomores over the Aqueduct Racetrack inner turf.

Heaven Street, a dark bay or brown son of Street Sense, will seek a second consecutive stakes victory, entering off a triumph in the one-mile Columbia on March 12 at Tampa Bay Downs. He displayed tactical speed in his 3-year-old debut, making a three-wide move in upper stretch and took command just outside the three-sixteenths pole to win by one length.

The winning effort was also Heaven Street’s debut for trainer Christophe Clement. He was campaigned by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen during his juvenile season, where he made his first two starts on dirt before winning his turf debut going two turns in June at Indiana Grand. He finished third in the Soaring Free in August at Woodbine and notched a victory against winners going one mile at Kentucky Downs the following month.  

“He’s doing great. I’m very happy with him,” Clement said. “I thought the effort at Tampa was impressive. He’s trained well since then. Obviously, this will be a deeper race this coming Saturday, but let’s see if he’s ready for the chance.”

Clement has tasked Trevor McCarthy with the mount, breaking from post 1.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will send out stakes-placed Fort Washington, who arrives off a late-rallying third in the Columbia. The dark bay son of War Front made his 3-year-old debut in the one-mile test where he was last-of-9 down the backstretch and made a five-wide move in upper stretch to complete the trifecta.

Fort Washington will return to Aqueduct for the first time since a second-out graduation on November 27 over the Big A outer turf.

McGaughey expressed interest in running Fort Washington back in the nine-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge on June 4 at Belmont Park.

“He’s kind of a green sort of horse. I just think he needs racing experience,” McGaughey said. “We’d like to run him in the Pennine Ridge, I think stretching him out would help him. I thought running over this course would help him more than the courses in Florida, which are a little more speed favoring. He finished well last time at Tampa. He was back a little bit further than I would have liked on that course, but I liked the way he finished. He’s done very well since we got him coming up here, so we’re looking forward to Saturday.”

Owned by Peter M. Brant and Allen Stable, Fort Washington is out of the Group 3 placed Turtle Bowl mare Azaelia.

Jose Lezcano, who piloted Fort Washington to his maiden coup, returns from post 4.

Michael Dubb and Michael J. Caruso’s Doctor Jeff will make his seasonal debut for trainer Rudy Rodriguez. Entering off a five-month layoff, the son of Street Boss captured the six-furlong Atlantic Beach on November 5 over the Belmont inner turf. The stakes-winning effort saw Doctor Jeff return to the gate-to-wire tactics which carried him to victory in his July 10 career debut in an off-the-turf Belmont maiden.

Jorge Vargas, Jr. will pick up the mount from post 5.

Trainer Chad Brown has entered Klaravich Stables’ Unanimous Consent for his stakes debut. Unbeaten in two starts, the son of Almanzor was a 2 3/4-length winner of his September debut at Monmouth Park before defeating winners off a five-month layoff in a Tampa Bay Downs allowance optional claimer.

Bred in Great Britain, Unanimous Consent is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Fast Lily, a half-sister to group stakes winners Mashoora and Silk Blossom.

Manny Franco will ride from post 6.

Completing the field are the George Weaver-trained stakes-placed Ohtwoohthreefive [post 2, Eric Cancel]; two-time winner Chanceux [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] for Hall of famer Todd Pletcher; and stakes-placed Maseta [post 7, Dylan Davis] for conditioner Linda Rice.

The Woodhaven is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the $200,000 NYSSS Times Square in Race 8. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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