Team Valor International and Mark Ford's Went the Day Well, winner of the 2012 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (gr. III) and fourth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), returns March 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack after spending time on the sidelines with bone bruising.
The 4-year-old son of Proud Citizen, unraced since a 10th-place finish in the May 19 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), will return in an allowance optional claiming event slated for a mile and 70 yards against five other New York-bred runners. He drew the outside post under jockey Junior Alvarado and will carry 118 pounds in the second race on the card, slated for a post time of 1:22 p.m. EST.
"He had some time off; after the Preakness we found out he had some bone bruising and we gave him a couple months of turnout before he joined us down at Palm Meadows this winter," trainer Graham Motion said. "It's one of those things where you hope he shows up on the day but he looks well training, as well as he has done in the mornings before."
Went the Day Well was bred in New York by James Patrick Delaney out of the Tiznow mare Tiz Maie's Day. He sold for $15,000 to Grove Stud when consigned by Hurstland Farm, agent, for the estate of Austin Delaney at the 2009 Keeneland November breeding stock sale, and was then taken to England where he was a $43,386 purchase by Oliver St. Lawrence Bloodstock at the 2010 Tattersalls October yearling sale.
After two starts in England, Went the Day Well was purchased privately by Team Valor and returned to the United States. He broke his maiden in his fourth try and second U.S. start, going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt at Gulfstream Park last March 3. He rolled off that win into the Spiral at Turfway Park and triumphed by 3 1/2 lengths with a wide driving bid. From there it was straight to the Kentucky Derby, where the colt came flying at the end.
"It was disappointing the way it turned out in the Derby, but incredible to me that with a cleaner trip, who knows?" Motion said. "He was only beaten 2 1/2 lengths in the Derby and I really thought the distance was going to help him, that mile and a quarter. Down the road that's probably going to be his thing, but this is just a place to get him started back."