When Englishman first started training for Cherie DeVaux at Keeneland last summer, he didn’t immediately tip his hand. It wasn’t until the Maxfield colt, a $400,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September sale by Mayberry Farm, turned in a 5-furlong gate work that DeVaux saw signs of serious talent.
“He came in with high remarks from April Mayberry, who’s very good about knowing what they have,” DeVaux said. “It’s really funny because he’s not a horse that’s really flashy in the morning. When he worked from the gate, he went :58 in a gallop, eased down. That’s when we knew how fast he really was, and then when he ran first time out.”
Englishman won his debut by 7 1/4 lengths gate-to-wire at Churchill Downs last September in an emphatic introduction to the racing world. Saturday, the racing world took notice again when he won his first Grade 1 in similar dominance, crushing the field in the 7-furlong Woody Stephens by 5 3/4 lengths while wrapped up in the late stages. He tied Saratoga Race Course’s 48-year-old track record of 1:20.40 set by Darby Creek Road, and he surely could’ve gone a hundredth of a second faster had he been asked to run through the wire.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” DeVaux said of the colt’s performance. “This horse is so fast that we kind of get a glimpse of it when he runs. He runs like that and almost broke the track record at Fair Grounds wrapped up. The sky is the limit for him right now, but I believe that’s at 6 and 7 furlongs.”
Englishman returned six months after his debut and toyed with an optional claiming field going 6 furlongs at Fair Grounds. He stretched out for his stakes debut in the Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day and finished second, while breaking from the rail, behind the Bob Baffert-trained Crude Velocity. That foe returned in the Woody Stephens as the heavy favorite, but a cutback in distance and a chance to break from the outside appeared to be all Englishman needed to turn the tables.
“I do believe, in the right situation and the right setup, we could run a mile. He’s most effective at this distance,” DeVaux said. “He just, in his last race, never got a chance to breathe. That was what really made a difference in the race today.”
Owned by C R K Stable, Englishman broke from the seven hole and allowed Solitude Dude to take a half-length lead on his inside. After a quarter in a sharp :21.98, the colt breezed up to lay just a head behind Solitude Dude as Crude Velocity, who broke slow and played catch-up along the backstretch, made a move into third.
Jose Ortiz on Englishman peeked over his right shoulder as the field turned for home and started asking the colt for his run. Florent Geroux took dead aim on Crude Velocity. The pair looked destined for another showdown like the Pat Day Mile, when Crude Velocity rallied by Englishman in the final furlong to win by 3 3/4 lengths. This time was different.
Englishman straightened out and continued to open a 5-length lead at the eighth pole. With 100 yards left, Ortiz stopped asking his colt for run and coasted home a no-doubt winner. Crude Velocity held second by a nose over the oncoming Obliteration.
“Last time, I had the one hole and it was very uncomfortable for me having him (Crude Velocity) outside every step of the way and he also is a nice horse,” Ortiz said. “But today, cutting back to 7 (furlongs), it was much better for me. …It was pretty amazing, but obviously the track is fast. It was impressive. Very impressive.”
The Woody Stephens led off a memorable day for DeVaux and Ortiz. The pair teamed up for a last-to-first Belmont Stakes victory later with Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo. At least Englishman’s winning margin meant DeVaux could save some energy for the big one.
“Down the stretch, when he (Englishman) opened up, I started cheering and I jokingly said, ‘I can hold this off for Golden Tempo because I think he’s got this one.’ ” she said.
Englishman showed a new dimension in winning the Woody Stephens. Up until Saturday, Englishman had never run behind another horse in a race’s opening furlongs.
“We had spoken about that,” DeVaux said. “We were really happy with where we were going to be outside, and that was the horse Jose said that was probably going to be with him. We just said if he wants to go, just try to give yourself some room and just let Englishman – because he’s got such a high cruising speed – just try to let him relax outside.”
Englishman may be flashy in the afternoon, and he can be a good actor in the morning. Just last week, he fooled Ortiz in a breeze meant to prep him for the Woody Stephens.
“He’s kind of a cheeky horse,” DeVaux said. “Jose breezed him last week and the horse either goes really easy or he goes really fast. He tricked Jose and went :27 and change for the first quarter. I would much rather have that to have this than the opposite way around. He’ll go off in :23 and :24 very well within himself, but he’s just kind of a cheeky little horse and he’s a little difficult, when you’re riding him, to know exactly how fast you’re going.”
Born in Saratoga Springs, DeVaux earned her first Grade 1 victory at Saratoga Race Course in last year’s New York Stakes with She Feels Pretty. The Woody Stephens marked her second, and of course, the Belmont added another.
“A Grade 1 at Saratoga means a whole lot,” DeVaux said. “It’s really hard and it’s really competitive. This is a historic track. The Grade 1 here does mean a whole lot.”
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