The Wood Memorial (Grade 2) (KYD)- $750.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
April 6, 2024

There are plenty of meaningful races taking part this weekend, including three 100-point races for the KYD. Here, we will look at The Wood Memorial, which is AQU’s biggest prep for the derby. After this weekend, we will have a mostly clear picture of who might be heading to the big race, although there is the possibility of the Lexington shaking things up a little too, next week. The purse for The Wood Memorial has been consistent at $750.000 through time, making it less than the BG Stakes but even with the SA Derby when comparing the races going on Saturday. There was a stretch in time from 2011-2016 when the purse was $1,000.000 here as well, but $750.000 has been the norm. Last year, the late Battle Plan won the race for Mb Stables but did not run in the KYD, He would, however, run third in the BEL. After struggling in a $7.500 claimer two weeks ago, the horse was deactivated.

How have Wood Memorial winners fared in the KYD?

2004- Nonge Norange (9th)
2005- Habanero (4th)
2006- Real Easy Jet (4th)
2007- Copperhead Ravine (11th)
2008- Misterkatesmith (12th)
2009- Breakdancer (20th)
2010- Cherry Cake Sailor (17th)
2011- Halfing (7th)
2012- Vouvray (4th)
2013- Coyote (11th)
2014- Twisted Estate (10th)
2015- Port On The Horizon (5th)
2016- Atomic Twister (6th)
2017- Farley On Wheels (11th)
2018- Ride Of Die (17th)
2019- Apple To Oranges (3rd)
2020- Charleys Latte (9th)
2021- Locamotive (3rd), Tko (6th)
2022- Up In Smoke (11th)
2023- Battle Plan (DNR)

So, as you can see, it took fifteen years for a Wood Memorial winner to even hit the board. We’re still looking for one of these winners to be a part of an exacta, or to even win. That said, there are indeed many great names on this list who had success in other races. Let’s take a look at this year’s field:

1- International Empire (Smokey Stover, ridden by L J Luzzi)- Looking to make an impression here after breaking his maiden on this track against NY-Breds in his second start. He turned in a work on March 12th which is as good as what any of these are running, so there’s no reason to think that he cannot run with this crowd. The bigger question will be whether or not he is ready to make this class jump. Obviously, to make the KYD, there is no time to wait.

2- Chaparral Cowboy (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Did run in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint last fall, but has not been able to successfully move up to moving long on the main track. In two races in preps, Chaparral Cowboy boasts two finishes in the double digits, beaten a combined 17 lengths. Each were off tracks, so that may have a lot to do with it and while it’s been raining in New York a lot this week, Saturday should be dry.

3- One Beer (South Shore Stables, ridden by Ar Bocachica)- You’ll find this horse sitting 27th on the TC qualifying page right now with 21 points, so he needs to pick up something, but he does not have to win. He can largely thank finishing third in the Grade 3 Lecomte for that, but he also turned in a decent finish at the TAM Derby, placing fourth. Might need to find a way to get just a little more speed, but if he does, he is not far off from being a great horse in this division. But he’s not fully at that point right now.

4- Holiday In Cambodia (Riggins Racing, ridden by A J Juarez Jr)- Won two of his first three races, and that let to him being sold for $150.000 last year. He’s had some good moments since then but does not have a win and has been lacking consistency. Perhaps, he can build on his last start, where he finished third in the Battaglia Memorial Stakes at TAM to earn six KYD points. Riggins Racing is still on the outside looking in (maybe, Hyakutake is 24th), heading into this weekend for the big race.

5- Fujisan (Alydar Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Similar to International Empire in that he is heading here after breaking his maiden. For Fujisan, that came last month at SA while running a mile and a sixteenth. The difference between these two is that Fujisan does not have the strong work coming in that International Empire boasts. He does have a little more racing experience which could help, but he does seem like a longer shot. But there’s no time to wait.

6- Demonic Chant (Riggins Racing, ridden by T McCarthy)- The second of the two Riggins Racing horses in the field, and a horse the trainer picked up for $55.000 last September in private sales. He won on debut with his new trainer, breaking his maiden at SA, and has been consistent and competitive in every race since, something his stablemate can’t claim. Ran fourth in the Withers last time out and has four KYD points.

7- Gold Vault (Fractious, ridden by K Carmouche)- Last fall, Gold Vault ran in the BC Juvenile, but failed to make an impact in it. Since then, he has one win in four starts, coming in the CA Cup Derby at SA in January. That sent him to TAM, where he would run his next two races and he did place third in the TAM Derby. That all equals sixteen points, and 31st place on the leaderboard. It’s going to be interesting to watch what happens with Fractious horses this weekend, as he has two safely in, but three between 31st and 34th and five when you go down to 43rd. He’s got so many capable, but still is looking to get that third one in. I don’t think Gold Vault is his best option of the ones on the outside right now.

8- Gaslight (Mb Stables, ridden by J Rosario)- Ran into Gold Vault last month at the TAM Derby, but would not finish anywhere near him. Prior to that, his three races all came here at the Big A, with two victories that are highlighted by the $100.000 Notebook. However, he would not be able to get involved in the $500.000 Great White Way as the post time favorite. It’s early with him, but there’s a trend of inconsistency that could be looming with him. Fortunately for the trainer, he has no shortage of KYD runners.

9- Chisel (Fractious, ridden by I Castillo)- Maybe it will be a new name to the list that ends up being the third runner for Fractious in the KYD. Chisel is coming here off of breaking his maiden here against fellow NY-Breds. It’s one of two starts he has made thus far, but both were at six furlongs. He does not have any longer public works, which would be useful for comparing him to horses like International Empire and Holiday In Cambodia, but anything out of this barn can get it done.

10- Stumble (Mb Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- Following a similar path to Chisel, and in fact, they went head-to-head on February 16th in a maiden race. Neither won that, but both won their next race, and for Stumble that was at a mile. It came with a massive come from behind effort, where he made up eight lengths in final two furlongs to get the win. He will have to pass a lot stronger here, but everyone needs to be looking over their shoulder to figure out where he is when it comes time to run in the stretch.

11- Bad Debt (Hippyheart, ridden by J R Davila Jr)- Right now, Bad Debt will be heading to the KYD, thanks to 42 points and sitting 17th on the leaderboard, but things can change a lot this weekend. This is a horse that seems to belong in the KYD field, as he has never run a bad race and has been at least fourth in every start. His biggest win to date is the Grade 3 Southwest from late January, and he followed that up by running third in the Rebel. It’s been a while since we have seen a public work on him, but the last one was very strong.

12- Sorcerer (Fractious, ridden by J P Spencer)- Last month, Sorcerer quietly won the $75.000 Columbia Stakes at TAM, but Fractious certainly noticed. He would pick up the gelding just a few days later for $350.000 in private sales and will be running him in a race for the first time. The Columbia is a turf race, and that is where he has been most of his career and has had success on it. He has a work from January that grabs my attention, and if there’s been further improvement from that, everyone needs to watch out. Potentially, a sleeper here.

13- Home Team Advantage (Lazy Eye, ridden by D Cabrera)- With two wins in seven starts, Home Team Advantage is making his graded debut here. It comes just two weeks after he last ran, where he finished second in the Rushaway Stakes at TP. He never challenged the runaway winner there, though. What he did do is show some late speed, so maybe at AQU and a little longer distance, that can help. You have to take your shot this time of year.

14- Beaten Path (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by D Davis)- Covered this horse two weeks ago in the Mike LaRosa LA Derby, and despite running on the lead there early, he fizzled late to place eighth. He’s not a bad horse, but those on the TC path with him right now just seem to be a little too tough for him. Since he’s close, and since TwinTowersRacing is a resilient trainer in giving his horses chances, Beaten Path gets another one here, but I can’t get excited about him. The post draw didn’t help matters, either.

Prediction: 11-6-1-2

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES