Havre de Grace
photo by NYRA

Havre de Grace, the filly star of Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes, arrived at Saratoga Race Course shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“We had a very uneventful trip,” said trainer Larry Jones. “It was good coming through New York at this time of day. She’s come in good.”

Jones, who personally drove the 4-year-old daughter of Saint Liam to the Spa from his base at Delaware Park, led the filly off the van and let her stretch her legs a bit before going to her stall. Stabled on the main track backstretch, Jones said Havre de Grace would jog after the break on Thursday and might gallop Friday.

“We had to alter her training this week due to dear old Irene,” said Jones, referring to the hurricane that significantly dampened the East Coast over this past weekend. “She didn’t get her customary Monday blowout where she gets to ripping and romping and doing her 57s. We had to gallop that day and were lucky to find a place to gallop. She did have a little blowout yesterday, galloped out well and seems very good this morning. We’re going to hope it’s the way we should have been training her.”

No worse than third in 12 lifetime starts, Havre de Grace seeks to become just the second filly to win the Woodward, following in the footsteps of champion Rachel Alexandra, who captured the 2009 renewal of the race as a 3-year-old. With victories in the Grade 3 Obeah at Delaware Park, the Grade 3 Azeri at Oaklawn Park, and the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn, Havre de Grace’s only 2011 loss in four starts came by a nose to Blind Luck in the Delaware Handicap on July 16, a race in which she spotted the winner two pounds.

It was with an eye on Horse of the Year honors – an accolade bestowed upon Rachel Alexandra the year of her Woodward victory – that owner Rick Porter decided to send Havre de Grace to the Woodward.

“Obviously, we think we have a chance to be Horse of the Year,” said Porter. “And after we got beat a nose in the Del ‘Cap, we thought we had to do something aggressive, either run against Blind Luck again in the Personal Ensign [or] take the boys on. We had to do something to get everybody’s attention, hopefully.”

Havre de Grace, who will leave from post position 6 under Ramon Dominguez, was installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the Woodward, in which she will face seven older males as she receives a three-pound weight concession. Completing the Woodward field from the rail out are Ice Box, Mission Impazible, Giant Oak, Rule, Convocation, Flat Out and Mambo Meister.

“If you’re a numbers player, you would think she ranks right up there and is a deserving favorite,” Jones said. “The 1 1/8 miles is a really good distance for her; 1 ¼ miles stretches her a little bit. She does it, but she starts getting a little tired at the end. She gets 1 1/8 miles really well. What I don’t like is that Saratoga is known for being the graveyard of favorites.”