Posted on 4/2/2008 9:34:29 PM

Wagering on Horse Races At Wood Memorial

By Greg Melikhov

The Wood Memorial was first run at old Jamaica Racetrack in 1925 when the purse was worth $7,600. The winner was long forgotten Backbone.

Five years later, the son of Sir Gallahad III made his 3-year-old debut in the race named for Jamaica president Eugene D. Wood and won by four lengths.

Gallant Fox was off and running to become the second of 11 Triple Crown winners. The big bay colt captured the Preakness eight days before taking the Kentucky Derby. In the mid-1930s the Preakness was moved to mid-May.

The ’30 Derby was the first in which a starting gate was used. Inspired by Gallant Fox’s winning ways in the Belmont, too, noted Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton coined the term Triple Crown.

The Wood was moved to Aqueduct in ’60 a year after the track was rebuilt and the Jamaica facility was shut down.

Twenty horses that ran in the race were victorious at Churchill Downs. Since ’75, five winners and two runners-up captured the Kentucky Derby.

The 84th running at 1 1/8 miles on Saturday should answer one big question: Is War Pass back on track after finishing last in Tampa Bay Derby?

On March 27, the son of Cherokee Run breezed four furlongs in a snappy 47 2/5 at Palm Meadows, the fastest of 11 works on the South Florida training track.

That’s encouraging since last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champ on March 15 was restless in the gate, broke fourth, failed to get the lead, was bumped on both turns at Tampa Bay Downs, finished seventh and came out of the 1 1/16 miles with cuts on his left leg.

The Wood at Aqueduct won’t be a gimme for the Nick Zito trainee since several promising 3-year-olds also have high hopes of using the $750,000 race as a springboard to Louisville.

Chief challengers include Court Vision, who won two graded stakes last year – the Remsen at Aqueduct and the Iroquois at Churchill Downs. The son of Gulch came from far off the pace during a terrible trip to finish third in the Fountain of Youth (FOY) at Gulfstream on Feb. 24.

The Bill Mott trainee breezed five furlongs in 1:04 at South Florida’s Payson Park on March 25.

The field includes three horses that ran in the Gotham on March 8: Texas Wildcatter, the runner-up; Roman Emperor, fourth; and Giant Moon, ninth and last.

Tale of Ekati hopes to improve from his sixth-place finish behind Pyro in the Louisiana Derby on March 8. The son of Tale of the Cat drilled four furlongs from the gate in 47 2/5 at Palm Meadows on March 25.

Two other prominent preps at 1 1/8 miles also are on tap Saturday, including the $500,000 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne.

The chief contender is undefeated Denis of Cork, who captured his third straight on Feb. 18 winning the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The son of Harlan’s Holiday breezed five furlongs in 59 2/5 at Churchill Downs on Sunday.

Among the challengers are Golden Spikes, fifth in the FOY, who zipped 48 4/5 handily for four furlongs on a sloppy Calder Race Course surface Monday.

War Emblem captured this race in ’02 and followed with a victory at Louisville.

The $750,000 Santa Anita will decide the best sophomore on the West Coast. The top two are Colonel John and El Gato Malo since San Felipe/San Vicente winner Georgia Boy is off the Triple Crown trail because of a pulled muscle in his left hind end suffering during a workout.

That prompted trainer James Kasparoff to change plans again: from the Arkansas Derby to the Blue Grass Stakes to the Santa Anita Derby. The son of Stormy Jack comes off a third place finish in the San Felipe.

Sham winner Colonel John, the morning line 2-1 favorite in the 11-horse field, worked six furlongs in 1:13 at Hollywood Park on March 25. Runner-up El Gato Malo, breezed five furlongs four days later in a snappy 59 seconds, the fastest of 53 works.

Yankee Bravo, who captured the California Derby at Golden Gate and later ran third in Louisiana Derby, went six furlongs handily in 1:13 at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Others in the field also worked five furlongs at the track: Coast Guard, 58 4/5, and Polonius, 1:00 3/5.

The last Santa Anita Derby winner to triumph at Louisville was Sunday Silence in ’89. Two runner-ups scored: Real Quiet in ’98 and Silver Charm in ’97. A pair of fourth-place finishers surprised: Giacomo paid $120.60 in ’05 while Charismatic returned $64.60 in ’99.

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