(April 10, 2004) - Trainer Michael Dickinson got much more than he asked for in Saturday's $750,000 Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct.

After a series of setbacks, Dickinson said he would have been "over the moon" to finish third in the Wood with Tapit. Instead, the gray colt's courageous come-from-behind, half-length victory over Master David - on a track that was kind to speed -- will send him to Churchill Downs as one of the favorites for the May 1 Kentucky Derby.

"He's a very brave horse," said Dickinson, who trains the son of Pulpit for Ron Winchell and his sister, Christina Harris. "I was very nervous because I didn't have him 100 percent fit. We've always known he's been a very good horse. I told Mr. Winchell if we're third today, we've got a really good chance (for the Derby). "

The victory was Tapit's third victory from four starts, and the winner's purse of $450,000 put him in the top 10 for graded earnings among Derby contenders. Definitely joining Tapit from the Wood at Churchill Downs will be the Bobby Frankel-trained Master David, who earned $150,000 to boost his earnings to $208,000, in the top 20. Value Plus, who finished sixth, and Sinister G., who was 10th, were both in the top 20 going into the Wood and are still possibilities for the May 1 Derby.

"He ran hard, I'm very happy," said Frankel of Master David, making his first start since winning the Sham at Santa Anita on February 8. "(The Derby) is a wide open race. If we're in the gate, we've got a chance. If not, we don't have a chance."

Eddington, who finished third, earned $75,000 and might not make the cut with earnings of $95,000.

"I'd love to run in Kentucky - we'll see what happens," said Eddington's trainer, Mark Hennig. "If we could get in, we'd probably go."

Three of the past four Kentucky Derby winners have come out of the Wood Memorial, including Funny Cide (second in 2003), Monarchos (second in 2001), and Fusaichi Pegasus, who won the Wood in 2000. In all, 19 horses who were either first, second or third in the Wood have gone on to win the Derby.

"The important thing is to go to the Derby with a live horse," said Dickinson, who has never had a Derby starter.

Tapit, who won both his starts at age two by a combined margin of 12 ½ lengths, made his first start of 2004 in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 13 off a four-month layoff, having missed 19 days of training due to sore shins. After his sixth-place finish to Friend's Lake at Gulfstream Park, it was discovered that Tapit had a lung infection and Dickinson backed off him again.

"We gave him an easy five-furlong breeze two weeks later, and it was obvious he was not 100 percent over his sickness," said Dickinson. "We have him one breeze last Saturday, and he went OK. Just OK. How fit could he be off one and a half breezes in four weeks? His jockey (Ramon Dominguez) thought he would win. I didn't underestimate him - I underestimated how fit he might be."

If he was not 100 percent fit for the Wood, Tapit certainly ran as if he were. Last through the early going as Sinister G. and favored Value Plus carried the field of 11 through a first quarter in 23.74, Tapit began creeping up as the half-mile went in 47.12 and three-quarters in 1:11.40. With the pacesetters having nothing left for the stretch, Swingforthefences took over approaching the eighth pole, and it seemed as if the race would be between him, Master David and Eddington through the final 200 yards. But Tapit, under a vigorous ride from Dominguez, was resolute through the final strides and prevailed by a half-length in 1:49.70.

"He had a lot left in the tank, regardless of whether he was 100 percent or not," said Dominguez. "We all agreed the most important thing was getting the horse to relax. I didn't want to take a chance going between horses on the backside. Around the turn, I knew he could angle out at any time. I didn't want to be five-wide at the three-eighths pole, so I angled him in, waited a little longer, and when we got to the top of the lane I said it was time for me to circle horses. "I was very pleased with the way he did things. From the quarter pole home, he picked it up very gradually and made me feel he wasn't all out by any means. He was the last horse to pull up."

Tapit returned $12.60, $6.60 and $4.80 to his backers in the crowd of 17,354, while Master David, under Alex Solis, returned $5.10 and $3.30. Eddington, ridden by Jerry Bailey, paid $3.50 for show.

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