By Alan Carasso
'TDN Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief) took his record at one-turn trips to three wins from four tries with a clear-cut victory in Saturday's GI Woody Stephens Stakes at a drying-out and freshly harrowed Saratoga Race Course.
Hard-ridden from gate four by Luis Saez, the bay colt took up a prominent early spot as GII Pat Day Mile upsetter Macho Music (Maclean's Music) cut out the fractions in advance of Madaket Road (Quality Road) down the backstretch. Under constant urging as longshot T Kraft (Connect) went through underneath him in third, Patch Adams was off the bridle to pick up as Macho Music and Madaket Road continued to lock horns on the pointy end.
Back into the bit passing the quarter pole, Patch Adams loomed up three off the inside under a full head of steam in upper stretch, took command with about a furlong to travel and came away late to take it by 2 1/4 convincing lengths as the lukewarm 17-5 favorite. Fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Big Truzz (Justify), in a bit of traffic at the half-mile marker, came on late to take third ahead of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Eclipse Award winner Citizen Bull (Into Mischief).
A debut third as odds-on at Keeneland last October, Patch Adams was accorded 'Rising Star' honors when decimating a field of Churchill maidens by better than 10 lengths, earning a 98 Beyer that was 10 points higher than that achieved by First Resort (Uncle Mo) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes later in the program, albeit over a sprint trip. That effort suggested that the sky was the limit, but after fourth-place efforts as the favorite in the GIII Southwest Stakes and GIII Tampa Bay Derby going long, he was cut back to a 6 1/2-furlong allowance on the Derby undercard May 3 and he responded with a handy 2 1/4-length defeat of Big Truzz.
“We tried to mess it up by trying to run him long a couple of times, but you always try for that and you have to realize where your success lays,” said WinStar President, CEO and Racing Manager Elliott Walden. “He showed that he's a seven-furlong horse the day he broke his maiden and has been telling us what he wants to do.”
While trainer Brad Cox was less willing to commit, Walden indicated a return to Saratoga for the GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes in August was probable for Patch Adams.
Pedigree Notes:
Patch Adams is the 25th top-level winner for his sire and his fifth out of a mare by WinStar's legendary and much-missed Distorted Humor, including 'Rising Star' and current WinStar stallion Life Is Good, Jerkens-winning sire Practical Joke, the aforementioned Citizen Bull and this year's GI Curlin Florida Derby hero Tappan Street. Goldencents is out of a mare by Banker's Gold, like Distorted Humor a son of Forty Niner.
WinStar purchased Patch Adams's stakes-winning third dam for $150,000 in foal to Awesome Again at Keeneland November in 2001 and bred eight winners from her, including G1 Dubai World Cup hero Well Armed (Tiznow); Grade III winner Witty (Distorted Humor)–the dam of GSW Bombard (War Front)–and the dam of GI La Troienne Stakes heroine Played Hard (Into Mischief).
Well Armed's full-sister Life Well Lived was represented as recently as Friday by GIII Belmont Gold Cup winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Parchment Party (Constitution), and she is also the dam of GISW and Japanese-based sire American Patriot (War Front) and MGSP Muqtaser, a full-brother to Well Humored. Once sold to Bobby Flay for $1.25 million at Keeneland November in 2017, Life Well Lived was purchased by Machmer Hall for $360,000 the same day Parchment Party was named a 'Rising Star' at KEENOV in 2023 and delivered a full-brother to that Pin Oak-owned runner last season.
The last listed produce from Well Humored is Patch Adams's 2-year-old full-brother Wall Street, who breezed a half-mile at Churchill Downs in :50 flat on June 6.
PATCH ADAMS gets his first stakes win in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens pres. by @MoheganSun with Luis Saez aboard for trainer @bradcoxracing. pic.twitter.com/YsKqEbMRdZ
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 7, 2025
Saturday, Saratoga
WOODY STEPHENS S. PRESENTED BY MOHEGAN SUN-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 6-7, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.36, my.
1–PATCH ADAMS, 118, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Well Humored (SW), by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Life Well Lived, by Tiznow
3rd Dam: Well Dressed, by Notebook
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O-CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC;
B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez. $275,000.
Lifetime Record: 6-3-0-1, $497,585. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Madaket Road, 118, c, 3, Quality Road–Frolic's Dream,
by Smoke Glacken. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($650,000 Ylg '23
FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables
LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson,
Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan;
B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $100,000.
3–Big Truzz, 118, c, 3, Justify–Saralin, by Curlin. 1ST BLACK
TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE.
($300,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star' O-Flying Dutchmen;
B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt & Kaleen Shah Inc. (KY); T-Brian
Lynch. $60,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3 1/4, NK. Odds: 3.40, 11.10, 7.90.
Also Ran: Citizen Bull, T Kraft, Gate to Wire, Chancer McPatrick-(DH), Macho Music-(DH), Neoequos, Gunmetal. Scratched: Colloquial.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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