Montauk Traffic starts 2020 strong in Jimmy Winkfield S.

Cross Traffic’s latest stakes winner Montauk Traffic won his black type debut in the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield S. Feb. 8 at Aqueduct in the first start of 2020 for the 3-year-old owned by Chris Fountoukis.

Montauk Traffic is his sire’s second stakes winner this year. The leading First-Crop sire of 2018, Cross Traffic was a top-10 Second-Crop sire last year and is among the leaders of his generation again in 2020

Early on in the seven-furlong Winkfield Montauk Traffic dropped back to last in the seven-horse field. Staying along the fence around the turn, he was still last entering the stretch. Jockey Jose Lezcano moved him to the outside in mid-stretch, and he rolled by the leaders to win by 1 ½-lengths.

With the win, Montauk Traffic could make his next start in Aqueduct’s Gotham S. (G3) on March 7.

“I was really thrilled that he could go from a maiden win to winning the Winkfield. It’s very exciting to consider that we could move on to the Gotham,” trainer Linda Rice said. “I’m sure it’ll be a much tougher race and a bigger field, but hopefully he can continue to improve and graduate on to the next one.”

Montauk Traffic was bred by Mike Rutherford and is out of the Grade 3 winner Taittinger Rose.