Up to the Big Apple and a great day of racing and what is surely a race that will send a few to Louisville for the first weekend in May, as we look at the field for the 2016 Wood Memorial (GIII).

My top choice today is a horse that is still eligible for NX1 but I just feel like he’s gotten the worst racing luck of any 3yo going right now…  Atomic Titty Twister was third in the San Felipe (GII) last out and was in tight a few time in that race and still found a way to salvage a third place finish.  You can go down a bunch of his races and find a similar hard-luck story, and I just think he’s due to get a clear shot and take a big win.

My second choice is lightly races but Overspender looked good when second in the TAM Derby (GII) which was his first try against black-type horses.  He has the world in front of him and this may be where he stamps his ticket as a special horse.

Speaking of special, it’s not every day that Australia Wide puts a filly in a Triple Crown prep race, but he’s brought Tropics here to give it a whirl.  She looks like a filly with some serious up-side so I’m going to give her my third selection spot and see what happens.

Here’s the Field….

It’s been a tough 3yo season for this one as he hasn’t been 1-2-3 all year long.  A couple of fourths prior to that seventh place finish in the LA Derby (GII) makes him a bit of an outsider even though he was sharp as a 2yo.  Did the BC race break his heart? 

Stakes races have not been kind to this one thus far.  He’s been close in every other race but once he gets to black-type horses, he just doesn’t get the job done.  He was fourth in the Pilgrim (GIII) but even that was on the grass so it makes this tough sledding.

Well it’s not every day you see The King put a filly in a spot like this – just not his style.  But you do see where she shaved a full second off of her 7f workout time between the 22nd and 26th, so did he find something and want to see if she’s really this type?  I’m going to pay special attention because this just isn’t his way and she can run.

Narrow miss when second in the TAM Derby (GII) last out which ended his two-race win streak.  He’s done just about everything asked of him in his short four-race career, and I look for him to be up in the middle of this one as well.  Give him a solid chance here.

Back-to-back off-the-board finishes v. stakes companies makes this another tough spot for this colt.  He did close some late ground in that Gotham (GIII) effort over this surface, but he also got passed late so it looks like all of them were getting busy at the end.  He has been working well here so maybe some more home cooking will do him good.

Just missed by a neck in that Gotham (GIII) outing and he was certainly moving fast in the late stages of that one.  He was five lengths back or more at the top of the lane and took that narrow loss.  Can he get the job done here today?  You have to think the extra sixteenth will do him good.

Nice Alw win in his most recent but this horse is yet to show a main track win as he also broke maiden on the sod.  He was second at today’s distance v. Alw horses at TAM to kick off the ’16 season, but he’s going to need his A-game to get any parts of this one.

Nice closing effort at the FG in the LA Derby (GII) when he closed late to be third beaten less than a length that evening.  That win in the Southwest (GIII) may have been his best race to date and another effort like that could get him another good pay-check.

All kinds of bad luck when third in the San Felipe (GII) at SA last out.  This horse just looks like he’s sitting on a win and doesn’t seem to be able to get a break.  He still closed well in that outing and has in all of his races, so watch out if he gets a clear run at ’em.

Tired late to be eighth in the FofY (GII) at GP last out.  He was up there giving them heck through the mile but just didn’t have it late while getting beat by three lengths.  He’s lightly raced and may have gotten something out of that race, but he’s going to have to show me.

Fifth in the TAM Derby (GII) while make a bit of a late move, although it looked more to me like he was passing tired horses more than anything.  Some of his best races have come here at AQU, so maybe he gets some luck and can take a part of this.

Back-to-back fifth place finishes in his pair of ’16 outings.  Neither of those makes you get warm inside about his chances here and I’d have to think any check would be welcomed as he just doesn’t seem to be in peak form.

Steady stream of black-type efforts for this one but he spit the bit late at SUN and finished eighth in that outing.  He did have a pair of runner-up finishes prior to that, but coupled with the poor starting gate position, this is going to be a tough spot.

Tired to be fifth (DH) in the FofY (GII) last out and I was a bit shocked by that finish and his running style that day.  He has shown an ability to wing it early but seems to do better when he comes from off of the pace in this type of race.  The post does him no favors here.

Was claimed for $15.000 last out and I just don’t think they want to draw into this group.

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Categories: Grade III