St. Elias Stable’s Captain Cook leads a competitive 12-horse field in Saturday’s 100th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Wood Memorial, which offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers, is slated as Race 12 on Saturday’s 13-race card. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
The card is bolstered by the Grade 2, $300,000 Carter presented by NYRA Bets for older horses sprinting seven furlongs [Race 10]; the Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle at nine furlongs for sophomore fillies offering 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points [Race 9]; the Grade 3, $175,000 Distaff at seven furlongs for older fillies and mares [Race 7]; and the Listed $150,000 Excelsior at 1 1/4 miles for older horses [Race 11].
Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr., Captain Cook captured the nine-furlong Listed Withers last out on February 1 here to earn 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. There, the Practical Joke bay stalked in third position under returning rider Manny Franco, before ranging up along the front pair in the second turn to take command– with enough left to hold off Surfside Moon by 2 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:51.83.
“He’s doing good… very good. Two days after he ran, he seemed like he came out of it good. It was noticeable, and he’s been following it up every day with good training, good breezing and good living,” said Dutrow, Jr. “He put in a big run going one mile and an eighth, which was tough, and he nailed it. We set him up for another two-turn race and it happened to be this race in two months, which is beautiful because I love time.”
Captain Cook [post 2, Manny Franco] improved to 2-for-2 in starts for Dutrow, Jr., after a second-out graduation by 9 1/4 lengths sprinting seven furlongs over sloppy and sealed going on December 28 here. That performance earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure, which he improved to a career-best 94 in the Withers.
Dutrow, Jr., said Captain Cook is also maturing positively off the track.
“He was quiet and unassuming for a while, but now, he is not. He is into his life and his groove, and he’s doing so good,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He has more personality, showing better stuff from a horse who is growing up. Just better stuff, I don’t really know how to explain it, but he’s giving it to us.”
In his debut, Captain Cook was sixth going six furlongs for conditioner Norm Casse in October at Churchill Downs. He was later purchased for $410,000 at the 2024 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale as part of the dispersal of the estate of the late John Hendrickson.
Bred by Marylou Whitney Stables, Captain Cook is out of the Grade 2-placed Indian Charlie mare Pow Wow Wow. His third dam is 2003 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Bird Town, a half-sister to 2004 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Travers-victor Birdstone – both out of the Reine-De-Course mare Dear Birdie.
Dutrow, Jr. will also send out McAfee [post 10, Eric Cancel], who was fifth last-out in the one-turn mile Grade 3 Gotham on March 1 here, picking up five Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The Cloud Computing dark bay has developed a following as the half-brother to 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, out of the Uncle Mo mare Sataves.
“He’s been training good. We are very happy with him, I don’t know if he has this in him right now, I have no idea. It seems like we are asking a bunch from him, but we asked a bunch from him last time and we were not disappointed,” said Dutrow, Jr. “We will have to see if he is a two-turner. If he is, he will show it. Hopefully, he runs huge, and I know he needed his last race to run a better race next time.”
McAfee graduated sprinting six furlongs on debut in November at Churchill Downs ahead of a head defeat in a one-mile starter allowance later that month there. He is campaigned by Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Scott Rice, and breeder Judy Hicks.
Dutrow, Jr., captured the 2008 Kentucky Derby with Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Big Brown.
Chester Broman, Sr.’s New York homebred Sand Devil [post 5, Jose Lezcano] picked up 25 Kentucky Derby qualifying points in a last-out second in the Gotham. Trained by Linda Rice, the Violence chestnut stumbled at the start, recovered to press the pace under Jose Lezcano, but couldn’t dispatch Flood Zone who won by 3 1/4 lengths.
Sand Devil breezed five furlongs in 1:01.71 Sunday over the Belmont Park dirt training track, where one week prior he covered six furlongs in 1:13.84.
“We’ve had three nice breezes in him consecutively. I was very happy with the breeze last week and happy again today [Sunday]. He went very well. Jose Lezcano worked him today. He galloped out a nice seven-eighths, so he is really as good as we can have him,” said Rice.
Sand Devil, with Lezcano back aboard, will travel around two turns for the first time.
“Hopefully, we have a smoother trip and we’ll see. He is untried at a mile and an eighth, but it is time to get out there and do it,” said Rice.
Sand Devil was previously 3-for-3 versus New York-bred company at the Big A, beginning with a debut graduation sprinting six furlongs on December 8. He then scored by 12 1/2-lengths in a one-turn mile optional claimer on January 2 and captured the seven-furlong Damon Runyon on February 8.
Bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman, Sand Devil is out of multiple stakes-winning Mineshaft mare Mineralogist. His second dam is the graded stakes-winning New York-bred Seeking the Ante.
Amo Racing USA’s Grade 1-placed Hill Road [post 6, Joel Rosario] earned that designation when third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for trainer Adrian Murray, defeated 4 3/4 lengths by subsequent Champion 2-Year-Old Male Citizen Bull.
Hill Road transferred to the barn of five-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown for a stateside sophomore campaign, finishing third in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 8 when adding blinkers. The Quality Road bay earned 15 Kentucky Derby points in defeat to Owen Almighty and stablemate Chancer McPatrick, raising his total to 24 with 9 points from his Breeders’ Cup third.
“He wasn’t nearly fit enough to be ready to win a race like that, but I wanted to give him a chance to get on the trail. I thought he ran very respectable, and he galloped out super,” said Brown. “It appears he has gotten a lot out of that race in his morning training, and I’m expecting him to take another step forward as we get him out to a mile and an eighth.”
Brown said Hill Road is an off-the-pace type.
“He’s steady, but strong. He’s been galloping out well in his works and he galloped out well in that race, so distance is no problem for him,” said Brown. “He does lack speed as you can see, he falls behind in his races. He’s kind of a lazy horse to motivate in the early part of his races and workouts for that matter. He does have a lot of endurance.”
Hill Road, a $350,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the Argentinian stakes-placed Lemon Drop Kid mare Exotic Notion, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner City of Light.
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert ships in Rodriguez [post 1, Mike Smith, blinkers OFF], who has 21.25 total Derby points from a second in one-mile Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis and a third in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 San Felipe, on the firsts of February and March, respectively, at Santa Anita Park.
The defeats were to well-regarded foes, Citizen Bull in the Lewis, and Journalism and Barnes in the San Felipe. Baffert said that he was encouraged by Rodriguez’s rally for second in the Lewis.
“He showed a big run. I think he’s a nice horse that just needs to mature mentally and physically. Hopefully, he breaks well, gets into a nice rhythm and we’ll see what happens,” Baffert said. “Mike Smith will go up to ride him and he’s very good on those types of horses.”
Before his stakes tries, the Authentic dark bay graduated second-out by seven lengths going one mile in January at Santa Anita, earning a field-best 100 Beyer in the pacesetting victory.
“I think he’s very talented. He just needs to break well and get a good trip,” said the two-time Wood Memorial-winning conditioner [Congaree, 2001; Bob and John, 2006]. “He’s been doing well. He came back and worked well, and I thought the Wood would be a good spot for him.”
Rodriguez, a $485,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of the winning Cherokee Run mare Cayala, is a half-brother to Grade 3-winner One Liner and Grade 1-placed Provocateur. He is campaigned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.
Repole Stable’s Grande [post 7, Dylan Davis], though lacking Derby-trail experience, should not be ignored with his 2-for-2 record for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who seeks a record-equalling eighth Wood Memorial victory.
Pletcher’s past scores include Eskendereya [2010], Gemologist [2012], Verrazano [2013], Outwork [2016], Vino Rosso [2018], Bourbonic [2021] and Mo Donegal [2022].
The Curlin dark bay has a pair of 2 1/2-length wins at Gulfstream Park, most recently in a nine-furlong optional claimer on February 27 over Jimmy’s Dailys, who finished sixth in Saturday’s Grade 1 Florida Derby. Grande successfully stretched out from his victorious one-mile debut on January 11, traveling forwardly placed in both starts.
“We’ve always felt like the further the better for him. He showed that in his maiden win going a mile and then he was able to handle the stretch out going to a mile an eighth in his second start,” said Pletcher. “We’re really happy with his development and now he’ll get a class test and see if he can keep moving forward.”
Grande breezed a half-mile in 50.12 seconds on Saturday at Palm Beach Downs in company with dual Grade 1-placed Crupi, a graded stakes-winning 5-year-old entered in Saturday’s Listed Excelsior.
“His last couple of works were in company with Crupi, who is a well-proven older horse, and they made good workmates,” said Pletcher. “I was happy to see him come out of that last race with good energy and good breezes. We’ve been pointing for the Wood Memorial since that race.”
On Your Left Racing’s Virginia homebred Omaha Omaha [post 12, Raul Mena] is multiple stakes-placed and has picked up 26 Kentucky Derby points along the way. Trained by Michael Gorham, the Audible bay was third in the one-turn nine-furlong Virginia Derby [15 points] last out on March 15 at Colonial Downs, following a second in the local one-mile Jerome [5 points] in January and third in the Withers [6 points].
Omaha Omaha rallied from last in each of his aforementioned placings, along with the other four starts of his 7-2-1-3 record. A fast pace to close into could be favorable for the son of the Kitten’s Joy mare England Swings, a full-sister to the late-running 2015 Champion Grass Horse Big Blue Kitten.
Half Hollow Stables’ My Mitole [post 4, Luis Rivera, Jr., blinkers ON] adds blinkers following a fourth in the Grade 3 Gotham. Trained by Carlos Martin, the Mitole chestnut picked up 10 Kentucky Derby points in the 6 1/2-length defeat to Flood Zone, registering a career-best 87 Beyer.
My Mitole stretches out to nine-furlongs after three consecutive local one-turn miles including the Gotham, graduating third-out in a November restricted maiden optional claimer ahead of a February starter optional claiming win, with his Beyers rising from 74 to 82 and 87.
Calumet Farm’s Passion Rules [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche] enters his first stakes attempt with a 3-for-3 record. Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the Friesan Fire bay enters from a deep-closing optional claiming score on March 14 going 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park.
Passion Rules had already won at that distance in his January debut at Fair Grounds Race Course before a rallying score going one mile and 70 yards on February 22 there. He will have to improve from his career-best 79 Beyer, but note that Calumet Farm sent out the Kendrick Carmouche-piloted Bourbonic to a 72-1 victory in the 2021 Wood Memorial.
Rounding out the field is two-time winner Statesman [post 11, Samuel Marin] for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, as well as maiden-winners Bear Claw Necklace [post 9, Romero Maragh] for conditioner Saffie Joseph, Jr., and Tiger Twenty Four [post 3, Javier Castellano] as Hall of Famer Bill Mott looks for a title defense following Resilience’s win last year – all three trainers have won this event at least once before.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the spring meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
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