Riding the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr., Will Take It came through a narrow opening in early stretch and outfought Woodcourt to win the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes Feb. 5 at Oaklawn Park.
Will Take It settled in third in the five-horse field over the initial 6 furlongs of the race, on the rail about a length and a half behind front-running Woodcourt and pace-chasing Speed King, the 3-5 favorite. Blocked until exiting the second turn, he found needed daylight at the head of the lane. He then engaged Woodcourt, ultimately prevailing by a head after a stretch duel.
Woodcourt finished second, while American Law came with a rally on the outside to get up for third. Speed King ran fourth, and Thoughtthatcounts was fifth.
The top two finishers exchanged bumps during the stretch. A claim of foul by Manny Esquivel aboard Woodcourt for interference was disallowed by the track stewards, and the results stood.
Will Take It, a 5-year-old Tapit horse owned by Willis Horton Racing and breeder Whisper Hill Farm, won in a final time of 1:38.13 and paid $11.80 for a $2 win wager. Splits of the race set by Woodcourt were :24.08, :47.77, and 1:11.79. Will Take It won for the sixth time in 22 starts.
"He showed up big," trainer Dallas Stewart said during an in-house interview. "This horse has been training terrific, and we're glad to bring him here."
